It is the perfect introduction to Howard Hawks's sharp, shining farce of 1934, which screens on Sept. 15 as part of the Hawks retrospective at BAM. Lombard plays Lily Garland, née Mildred Plotka, who is raised from lingerie model to stage star by the theatrical producer Oscar Jaffe John Barrymoree), only to desert him for the swamp of Hollywood.
A girls' night out spent mostly in the toilet makes for a lairy ladette farce with sharp social comedy.
Reviewers at Sundance have hailed the film as a breath of fresh air: a sharp, quick-witted political farce that blends aspects of Yes Minister, The Office and such vintage British comedies as Our Man in Havana.
The pace and timing of the performances, essential for farce, is sharp throughout, from pauses to double-takes, and Mr. Hudson patiently lets the humor build on its own rather than trying to rush the laughs with stage business or mugging.
From Hollywood: a lively farce given weight by sharp political barbs.
The FARC called the move a "farce".
It's self-contained disaster, farce and tragedy in one, as short, sharp and effective as the knee injury that ended the man's playing career.
If Ms. Sedgwick's performance in "Loverboy" is even sharper, the movie, whose tone wobbles between lyricism and farce, is much less sure-footed.
While the effort by Cuomo was roundly criticized, with one sharp observer calling it an "incredibly classic Cuomo/Albany story" and a "ridiculous farce," perhaps it could still spawn an idea that actually serves the public.
Mr. Stewart describes the political struggles in Maysan, and later in Dhi Qar, his second posting, in sharp, sensitively observed vignettes that on occasion rise to the level of inspired farce.
