This is a cleverly made, fast moving blend of several genres which will hold your attention. It's produced with typical MGM professionalism and has a realistic script with credible well developed characters.
It's not the most thrilling picture in the world but it's so well made that you'll keep watching. What's particularly memorable about this is its editing. Like a modern-day tv soap, none of the scenes last more than a couple of minutes then there's a geometric wipe to the next scene. This lively technique gives the picture a lot more energy than you might expect. Veteran director Harry Beaumont proves that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks.
Films with multiple storylines were popular in the early thirties, the most famous being GRAND HOTEL, the best being SKYSCRAPER SOULS. This approach required not just the leads but all the characters to be real people, people with actual personalities and background stories. For such a relatively small picture, the characters in this are remarkably well rounded.
Although his character is meant to be a little bland, comic actor William Haines delivers quite a heartfelt performance but the stars are really the women who display some real acting skill. Madge Evans makes you believe that she is in love with "Bill." Karen Morley makes you loathe her. You just know that Anita Page, playing the middle sister is cynical of the wild carefree life she's adopted. Joan Marsh, the younger sister is naive, full of life and vulnerable. Indeed it's eighteen year old Joan Marsh who adds the necessary vitality to this. Joan was MGM's other Jean Harlow - had there not already been a Jean Harlow, Joan might have become a bigger star.
