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Information

Year
1942
Runtime
88 min.
Director
Preston Sturges
Genres
Romance, Comedy
Rating *
7.7
Votes *
7,938
Checks
3,030
Favs
235
Dislikes
29
Favs/checks
7.8% (1:13)
Favs/dislikes
8:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. V012's avatar

    V012

    "I grow on people......like moss...." 9 years 1 month ago
  2. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Usually romcoms END with a madcap rush to the wedding chapel. The Palm Beach Story STARTS there then jumps ahead a few years to the make-or-break portion of the marriage. The superlative Claudette Colbert decides she has to leave her husband (Joel McCrea), whose ego is easily bruised, because she's a drain on his finances and the reason they can't make ends meet. She sets off on a journey, he'll try to follow, and hopefully they'll fall back in love by the end. Part of the absurdity is that every millionaire she meets wants to give her money (and there are a lot of them), like it's her superpower, and the first act is a bit haphazard in terms of plot before we get to the heart of it. The two leads are really the only two normal people in the piece. They're surrounded by comedy characters, some of which you'll find funny, others not (I think the movie is entirely too convinced Toto the Lothario from a vague country is hilarious, but he's not), and the quick 40s comedy patter is off the charts. Harmless fun, and that ridiculous ending had me slapping my knee until it bruised, with a loud "sure, why not!". 4 years 6 months ago
  3. mpouk's avatar

    mpouk

    The sardonic wit of Preston Sturges is omnipresent in this superb screwball comedy. It vividly recreates a madcap world where sanity is the exception and where the central couple strives to reach a balance by redefining their relationship. Sturges cleverly de-constructs the genre conventions and undermines viewer's expectations, while at the same time creates brilliantly timed sequences like the one at the end where the moving ballad sung by one suitor leads to the unlikely reconciliation. 10 years 4 months ago
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In 14 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #72 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
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    iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…

    72
  2. This movie ranks #75 in BBC's The 100 Greatest Comedies of All Time
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    BBC's The 100 Greatest C…

    75
  3. This movie ranks #77 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs
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    AFI's 100 Years...100 La…

    77
  4. This movie ranks #153 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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    BFI's 360 Classic Featur…

    153
  5. This movie ranks #155 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    155
  6. This movie ranks #216 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
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    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    216
  7. This movie ranks #268 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    268
  8. This movie ranks #299 in Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
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    Empire's The 500 Greates…

    299
  9. This movie ranks #464 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    464
  10. This movie ranks #601 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    601
  11. This movie ranks #646 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
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    The New York Times's Boo…

    646
  12. This movie ranks #692 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    692
  13. This movie ranks #900 in The Criterion Collection
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    The Criterion Collection

    900
  14. This movie ranks #994 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
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    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    994
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