Christmas in July

A little silly and predictable but still a lot of fun. Sturges was clearly still finding his way at times and this is a notch below his other work, but the leads are still enjoyable and the dialogue is pretty crisp.

Pleasant early Sturges comedy with a superb collection of minor characters.

i love that it never makes the usual mistake of implying, from the safety of its producers' lavish apartments and mansions, there's More To Life Than Money (try not having any). i love that it presents the realisation of the american dream as a one in a million fluke, and it pleases me that a black cat seals the deal since i have one of those (although he seems to cost rather than generate money?). but most of all, i love that sturges made a top tier simpsons episode over half a century early.

It was uncomfortable to see things ratchet but they were so happy that it was infectious. While predictable, I wasn't sure which trope they were going to end this with. Not sure if the point of the movie is to worship capitalism. The final scene with the winning entry is really dumb. Fav scene: policeman calling the bosses Hitler and Mussolini.

If you can't sleep at night it isn't the coffee it's the bunk

Not particularly funny. People getting food thrown at them doesn't do much for me. Constructed around a very uncomplicated premise, it succeeds mainly because of its likeability. Warm rather than maudlin, fuzzy instead of sharp as Sturges' best comedies. Heck, I'll go further than likeable: it's plain lovely.

Delightful dissection of American business culture, and still retains some of that New Deal celebration of the Common Man.

Bittersweet, tender and pessimistic take on the empty promises capitalism has been delivering for ages -- scene near finale where MacDonald's boss reluctantly lets him keep his new position (with no raise!) after he says he's never won the contest and it was all just a bad joke by some cowokers killed me. Life defined by money leads only to mayhem, mess, heartbreak, but we can have a bit of fun along the way! Specially with good companies -- love of your life, an endearing community around you.

A cute story about a guy who wins a contest ... or does he? Although the comedy was good, I think it was slightly diminished by the "modern" slang that everyone used -- but which isn't always decipherable almost 100 years later. It's a little too predictable, but still some good fun, especially with the Sturges bit players (and the fraudsters, who were named Tom, Dick, and Harry).

On the one hand this film has aged pretty well and was still very entertaining to watch, but on the other hand so many scenes revolve around the way that a certain joke is phrased that I literally had to stop the film and google an explanation of the 1940s lingo that it uses.

I liked this alright, but I didn't love it as much as I was hoping given Sturges was in the writer/director seat. Dick Powell & Ellen Drew are both really good, as is the rest of the cast- I have a lot of filmographies to look into once the holiday season- and my Christmas movie binge for the year- is over. It isn't much of a Christmas movie, really, but it does do a pretty good job of capturing the true essence of what Christmas should be about. Points for that, and for the cute black kitty.

Light, breezy, with little hints of true humanity and compassion throughout. Enjoyable.

This takes a while to get going but once it does it's a lot of fun.

A rather sweet tale about dreams of escaping poverty: one has the feeling that the filmmaker knows very well how he is playing with the emotions of the audience, but there are so many good lines that it is impossible not to enjoy the ride.

Not a single Sturges movie that doesnt deliver.

84.50

Panasonic blu-ray

Just about as small as movies get (including a running time just above an hour) but none the less a lot of fun.

Viewed May 18, 2017.

The story is almost too simple! But it's that simple blessing that makes this shines even brighter, like it's Christmas in July (1940)!

Star Rating: ★★★★

watched: 2011, 2019

Short but sweet. I really enjoyed how this movie played out, with some heartfelt turns and nice character moments that made it feel a bit more Capra-esque than your typical Sturges. It doesn't really get too manic, and just has a pleasant vibe to it. I also appreciate that it doesn't torment the audience by dragging out the misunderstanding too much. Powell and Drew are terrific together, they make a charming couple. The ending is a bit predictable, but other moments aren't.

Preston Sturges is mostly just no fun anymore. Contrived, not funny, and you can see the "surprise ending" coming a mile away