I had no particularly high expectations for "The Bank Dick" but since it is reputed to be one of W.C. Fields' best movies I thought I'd take a flier on it. Not the worst movie I've ever seen but far from the best. The real problem is the acting is very mediocre. All the types are there... the shrewish wife, the nasty mother in law, the super-bratty offspring, con men, drunkards, etc. but they just don't pull their weight. Most of the lines aren't all that funny to begin with but they could succeed much better with superior delivery.
As I think about it, comedies don't seem to age nearly as well on the whole as dramas. That must have to do partly with comedies being much more culturally/contextually dependent for their success with audiences. Perhaps whatever W.C. was trying to poke fun at or deflate is so irrelevant in 2011 that this dated movie just isn't worth the bother any longer.
As I think about it, comedies don't seem to age nearly as well on the whole as dramas. That must have to do partly with comedies being much more culturally/contextually dependent for their success with audiences. Perhaps whatever W.C. was trying to poke fun at or deflate is so irrelevant in 2011 that this dated movie just isn't worth the bother any longer.