Sullivan's Travels (1941)'s comments

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mi-16evil

"What do they know in Pittsburgh?"
"They know what they like!"
"If they know what they like then why do they live in Pittsburgh?"

Genius.

12 years 3 months ago

Josh_Glover

Only realized at the end credits that Veronica Lake's character didn't have a name...

10 years 7 months ago

sureup

Meh, the message was simplistic and the rest wasn't very funny nor very interesting. It's just ok. 6/10

12 years ago

eiriknielsen

Movies this good make you wish that you could give a double favorite!

9 years 9 months ago

Joel McCrea plays a movie director who wants to move away from light comedies and make serious pictures about the human condition in Sullivan's Travels, a movie that seems to sell itself on the presence of Veronica Lake, judging from all the posters, though I personally think she's surplus to requirements. The love story is really the least interesting thing about this, and I find that I stopped caring whenever she was on screen. That said, there's lots to appreciate in this flick. It really does start out as a comedy, and a broad one at that, with cartoon gags and pratfalls, as if Sullivan were trying to escape the world of his films. The first two acts are really Pulp's Common People: The Movie, as Sullivan tries to pass off as a tramp so he can learn about real misery, but his privilege gets in the way. Even as he nears his goal, and the comedy tropes evaporate, he still has cards he can play, so he can't ever know what hardship is truly about. He can only ever slum it. Even when the movie gets dark, privilege will find a way. Now, I saw the ending coming because I immediately spotted the flaw in the character's premise, but it's a lesson he had to learn for himself. It's a self-serving one, and if director Preston Sturges wasn't mocking his hero's quest all the way through, it might almost come off as condescending. But the fact is, he keeps our interest with comedy patter, gags, shocks, and the kind of drama Sullivan wants to make, all the way to the end.

4 years 8 months ago

Typically Thomas

One thing doesn't make sense to me. spoiler

1 month ago

Paulorsadv

Very well directed.

8 years 9 months ago

stexdo

Some funny dialogue, but not much substance to properly carry that message. Most of the satirical situations are at the beginning and the rest of the movie swifts towards regular comedy. The movie is considered a classic so you should watch it anyway..

9 years 12 months ago

thetallguyinthecorner

@wetwillies Those are the same movies I would compare this to. It really is a great story.

13 years ago

wetwillies

This was excellent. I'm surprised that it isn't as well known as It Happened One Night or The Philadelphia Story, for example.

13 years 4 months ago

Miss Jitterbug

I liked it. It is a wonderful comedy.

11 years 1 month ago

saydin7

this is a great movie. its like a mix of different
great movies. contains very important social messages. great actings

13 years 11 months ago

Inevitable_destiny

Brantastic16, why dont you go to the bay, and ask our friendly pirates for help?

12 years 9 months ago

Brantastic16

Does anyone know where I could possibly find this? I can't find it online or at my local video store and I searched TCM's website and it's not scheduled to play any time within the next few months.

12 years 9 months ago

Limbesdautomne

The moral of the story: a filmmaker can hit a railway employee railway employee without criminal proceedings.

Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.

6 years 3 months ago