MovieChat Forums > Christmas in July (1940) Discussion > christmas in july's wacky winning way

christmas in july's wacky winning way

posted 15 years ago by nosnojsirhc
5 replies | jump to latest

sturges took the feel-good little-guy Capra style and mixed it with the fast-paced snappy dialogue of the Howard Hawks style - instantly watchable. while sometimes the overall 'message' can feel watered-down (lady eve), silly (great mcginty), or even insulting (sullivan's travels), a sturges film is always good for laughs and at least SOME clever commentary on the world. this one is no exception. it's short (65 minutes!), it's fast, and it's stocked with a great cast of rapid-fire supporters.

[–] justaudrey 14 years ago

Well said!

[–] nosnojsirhc 14 years ago

Thanks - sometimes I wonder if anyone reads what I post... :)

[–] iwals 12 years ago

It's interesting that you bring up Capra. While watching this I was thinking how it reminded me of It's a Wonderful Life. While this movie is not known as well, I feel it is every bit as good as Capra's film. And coincidentally, It's a Wonderful Life had a summer release.

Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.

[–] Henry_Framus_Valentine 11 years ago

Mrs Bitsko asked, "Is this Frank Capra`s?" It certainly is the most Capra-esque of Sturges`s films (dang! I sound like a film critic).

By the way, how`s your mom, Ed?

[–] franzkabuki 10 years ago

Another unremarkable number by Sturges. Thin premise, lots of lame jokes and some gooey moralizing on top of it all. And the female lead's real weak. Fortunately, it only took 67 minutes to pass. 5/10.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan