You and Me

Fritz Lang definitely got a different style then the other directors in Hollywood. A definite European way of adding these little elements to put one off guard. You can see a lot of M in this without this becoming a action film. This is more a drama adding bits of humor, lying and criminal scum. The Christmas "mob" scene made the movie for me! Who wouldn't want to be a criminal with such bonding going on?! Well, later we got a schooling why not. Crime doesn't pay.... much.

Simply wonderful little movie. The drama works, the touches of humor work, and Sylvia Sidney is smokin' hot. Damned if I know why it isn't seen more

Well done, even as the script could use a bit of work (esp. the chalkboard climax). Love the musical flourishes, none better than the prison flashback, which does such a magnificent job communicating the bonds this crew has with one another. And up to that point, the film hits the right notes in the relationship between Joe and Helen. Good supporting players that add real color to the film.

There aren't many films that have as their climax a math lesson, and that isn't even the most unusual thing about this one. (One could add the store for parolees and the singing-but-not-dancing mob.) It careens so wildly that it's just hard to shoehorn this as any specific type of film. It's mostly entertaining if you don't mind suspending your disbelief throughout.

Lang later called this a "lousy picture". It's not great, but it's so delightfully odd, it's certainly better than lousy. The dramatic climax of this film is Sidney at a chalkboard demonstrating mathematically that crime does not pay when you factor in all the expenses.

Cute, wholesome, not too schmaltzy. The musical interlude was a little disturbing. The comedy was thin, and chemistry a little awkward but all the actors were great & characters sympathetic. Some nice visuals, too.

Viewed April 29, 2021. The movie is a mad mixture of different styles and tones, from screwy comedy to bleak gangster story to quasi-musical courtesy of composer Kurt Weill - clashing elements that Lang throws together at will. The friction seems to be the point, as Lang's constantly shifting style and tone creates a sense of hysteria to match his protagonists', two people trying to outrun their criminal pasts during the desperate times of the Great Depression.

Very odd movie. It's too coy to be real noir... Pauline Kael, as usual, nails it: "The movie turns out to be a gangster-comedy fairy tale, botched in every department. Lang seems to be trying to be Lubitsch, but without the requisite lightness of touch." All that, and some Kurt Weill songs that don't quite mesh with the goings-on, either (that Knocking Song...??). George Raft is good, Harry Carey is great, but I may have to start avoiding movies with Sylvia Sidney in them.

85.50

Enjoyable and somewhat sweet. Includes nice peculiarities such as the musical piece in the beginning.

Weirdly shifts in tone a few times. Starts out as a romantic comedy where one party is lying to the other. Takes an odd detour to a musical flashback before finishing as a math lesson about crime.

Pretty solid film with two very sympathetic leads that make the ex con social study sympathetic and make the romance worth rooting for even though it's kind of thin. Lang's direction is top notch, not many noir shadows but he does some interesting things both visually and especially aurally which make the film stand out. Otherwise it's just a very solid and entertaining film with few flaws.

Star Rating: ★★★★★