The Palm Beach Story

Claudette Colbert lights up an unorthodox romantic comedy with some wonderful looks and comments, but as none of the characters act anything like real people, it suffers from a lack of the relatable humanity woven into Sturges' best works. He seemingly writes himself into a corner before coming up with a ludicrous twist ending, which is laid out in the opening credits but insufficiently foreshadowed throughout the story to really constitute a satisfying payoff.

Mostly a comedy of money without high interest (it’s more a stage prop than a subject of analysis), though the first half is by far the sauciest screwball I’ve seen, getting graphic innuendos and even a little foreplay past the censors. You don’t necessarily have to call it racist but the black characters’ comedy hasn’t aged well; also, the portrayal of Europeans is hilariously offensive (they’re always gigolos in screwball but this takes the cake). Loved the ridiculous handwave ending.

Claudette Colbert was so likable I disliked disliking this movie; edited after rewatch. This was enjoyable this time and I'm not sure why I disliked it before.

Twins? The fuck?

Amusing enough, with colorful characters and funny situations; another old comedy I'd call "pleasant" - definitely worth a watch, I was consistently entertained, but it doesn't offer much replay value.

Another Preston Sturges comedy with Joel McCrea, not as satisfying as Sullivan but enjoyable. Lots of drunk acting, which is a pet peeve of mine.

I sure missed something here. Highly rated classic screwball comedy that didn’t work for me.

In a blanket like an Indian. I’ll be sure not to use this simile with my class.

❤️

obviously a major influence on SOME LIKE IT HOT and a lesser film IMO, but colbert is always a delight and there are some magnificently nutty peaks (that epilogue).

Dat ending. One of the most ridiculous twists. I can't even be mad.

Quintessential Preston Sturges screwball comedy filled with fast-paced one-liners and light slapstick comedy. Colbert and McCrea work well together while Rudy Vallee struggles to find the right rhythm for his character. A twist ending makes this a little unique compared to Sturges' other pictures. Lacks some of the more pointed social satire Sturges is known for instead choosing to poke fun at the celebrity rich at the time. The lampooning of marriage is mostly toothless.

Plot is thin and undermotivated. Still fun but inferior to Sullivan's Travels.

This is very much a quirky, madcap style comedy film. The old man who mishears things made me laugh and some of the situations were a bit unlikely but amusing never the less. Its pretty basic comedy I suppose but I thought it was relatively entertaining. Its not a greatly memorable film as such but its not a bad watch either. It is, of course, somewhat dated, having been released in 1942. There are some outdated sexist comments, cheesy foreign accents and perhaps racial stereotypes present.

87.00

The ending is incredible, one of the finest conclusions to a comedy I've ever seen, but it's not quite in the upper echelon of Sturges' comedies. There are a few too many sequences that fall flat for me.

What a practical ending to a original variation of a gold digger story! Delightful in every way! Except for their motives perhaps. Claudette Colbert was pretty much the queen of screwball comedies and she's so refreshingly natural here. Pure MVP performance. Joel McCrea was pretty good too. Oh, but the biggest surprise was Rudy Vallee. I would have never guessed that crooner like him could be such a quirky character as he presented here! Preston Sturges brilliance!

I guess I always thought screwball comedies were about falling in love, but this one is about a divorce (well, sort of). Colbert is a bit mercurial as a wife who wants to help her husband (played by McCrea, who is so funny in Sullivan's Travels, but here just reads his lines). There's some laughs -- including quite a few from the princess, who will either amuse or annoy you -- but it just doesn't have enough for me to see it as a classic.

It's definitely dated - with offensive racial caricatures and all it's talk about gender roles, nor is it Sturges' best, funniest or most-romantic, but it still has all the hallmarks of a good Sturges film: Witty dialogue, quickly-paced narrative, censor-baiting innuendo, and great performances and line delivery all around. Bonus points for Claudette Colbert's charisma.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Surprisingly cynical for the Hollywood of the time romantic comedy about the woman who feels materially unprovided by her inventor husband and decides to leave him and go on a hunt for a rich man in Palm Beach. The premise left a bad taste in my mouth, and if not for some funny, fast-shooting dialogs this would have been a great disappointment. Unlike in Sturges' Sullivan's Travels slapstick doesn't work here. The ending feels rushed and silly.

(2nd viewing)

A very good comedy with some excellent dialogue. Even the acting was enjoyable most of the time. Didn't expect much from it but in the end, I was positively surprised.

Geçim zorlugu çeken aile, kiraci, teksasli sosis krali, para yardimi, evli çift, evi terk eden kadin, tren, tren yolculugu, avcilik kulubü, tanisma, zengin adam, kocasini kardesi diye tanitan kadin (days heaven), tiyatrovari oyunculuk, kötü ve sürpriz final.

It's hard not to love a train full of drunk men shooting guns, but still the over-reliance on broad slapstick humor and goofy caricatures (racial and otherwise) prevents this from really getting off the ground. Also that ending seriously...

watched: 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021

#180

I didn't find the characters particularly likable, or even interesting, but its plotted well and has quite a few funny moments.

Palm Beach Story has an engaging premise and plot, and I feel that it could have been really good if it didn't try so hard to be funny (unsuccessfully). There was one back-and-forth between McCrea and Colbert early on, where sex was discussed openly, which almost reminded me of the truly classy, subtly witty Fonda-Stanwyck exchanges on The Lady Eve. Then it was back to hearing-impairment humor. Most of this film suffers from vain fast-talk and a glaring lack of subtlety.

A fun comedy from Sturges, particularly in the quick pace of the dialogue and clever combination of words and phrases throughout the film--'what's knittin', kittens?' The story does a pretty good job balancing the personalities and choices of its characters, a tricky proposal in a comedy with this many narrative angles. The film gets a bit silly at times, but overall it makes for an enjoyable and pleasant evening.

168

A very fine Sturges comedy. The Ale and Quail Society are amusing, and so is Rudy Valee.

168

The best of the Preston Sturges comedies. Sexy, sophisticated, and very very funny.

Great dialogue but some annoying characters.

There's about 5 minutes too much over the top comedy in the middle, but the rest is a wonderful cynical romantic comedy. Sturges was a great writer and and the film has some excellent dialogue delivered in very good performances. The opening credits and the ending are wonderful bookends to the film.

# 164

It's funny, but it's also got pieces that fall flat. Even at 88 minutes, this feels stretched.

Probably Sturges's second best movie, after the previous year's THE LADY EVE.

Holy smokes, a Preston Sturges movie that's actually funny