The Palm Beach Story Reviews

Classic screwball comedy

Sturgess is the master of this genre and Palm Beach is one of the best. This film ranks alongside such greats as The Lady Eve & Bringing Up Baby. Anyway there are lots of classic one liners in the movie and quite a lot of visual gags - which usually I am not too keen on but work here.

Classic screwball

Plot and characters unbelievable (of course!) - executed with panache and general wackiness!

[Highly rated reviewer]

A classic comedy from the absolute master

The most modern, most zany, most satisfying comedy you are likely to see in many a year. Driven by writer-director Sturges' usual twin obsessions, money and sex, the wacky plot has Claudette Colbert leave her mad-inventor (and much-loved) husband, Joel McCrea, because she reckons if she can find a wealthy man to marry, he will give her the money to finance McCrea's daft schemes. And such a man appears in the person of Rudy Vallee (after Colbert has stepped on his face a couple of times) - whose sister (Mary Astor) is a crazed nympho who wants to get her teeth into McCrea.

All that, plus the Ale and Quail Club destroying a train, the Weenie King discoursing on sexuality, and an ending that wraps everything up far too neatly to be believed. The only reason you might not like this film is if you are dead.

Okay.

Ok rather than nothing.

Average - but could have been better

The storyline was very flighty, as was the chracter of Claudette Colbert, her performance was at times irrational. I prefer her performance in It Happened One Night with Clark Gable. Some good scenes with Joel McCrae, but overall an average at best no more than that. She is capable of much more.

Fun to watch

If you enjoy movies from an earlier time, and in b/w you will enjoy the film. It's one of those zany American movies that were of another humour. Quite a bit of fun.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Very screwball

This will appeal to you if you like Preston Sturges at his most ‘over the top’. For me it is cluttered by too much ‘business’ that this director seemed to have problems pegging back. Perhaps in the 1940’s the zany aspects of this film were a refreshing antidote to the war with Germany now they just look like dated slapstick. Perhaps I am being harsh because some of the performances are rather good, though Joel McCrae is a bit wooden for my taste. If you would like to see something from this director in slightly more restrained mood try ‘The Lady Eve’; for my money one of the very best of the Hollywood screwball comedies.

dvd reviewer

wonderful romantic movie,with brilliant actors, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Silly

This is such a preposterous piece of fluff that it's barely worth reviewing. A squawking -at some points almost unbearably noisy- 'comedy' that attempts to convince 1940s gold-digging flibbertygibbets that they'd be better off sticking with their husbands. A great, camp scene where the lovely Claudette Colbert is 'reluctantly' being fitted for a 90 piece trousseau by a benevolent millionaire, but apart from that, a lot of boring nonsense.

Silly

This is such a preposterous piece of fluff that it's barely worth reviewing. A squawking -at some points almost unbearably noisy- 'comedy' that attempts to convince 1940s gold-digging flibbertygibbets that they'd be better off sticking with their husbands. A great, camp scene where the lovely Claudette Colbert is 'reluctantly' being fitted for a 90 piece trousseau by a benevolent millionaire, but apart from that, a lot of boring nonsense.