I love Jean Arthur. I love Berlin. I loved seeing Berlin's history through this movie. Dietrich was great.
Unfortunately the movie is dated. Phoebe's (Jean Arthur) attitude is just entirely unrelatable in 2021. It's hard to even believe it was relatable in 1948 when the movie came out. She goes off on seeing couples kissing in the park? Seriously? She gets upset that a nightclub exists? Why? Why are we supposed to believe this character actually exists?
That cornball ending also didn't fit at all and by itself lowered the movie several points. I can't believe even in 1948 that was considered a good ending. It only works if you played the Sad Trombone Wah Wah Waaaah over it and even then that wouldn't make it good. It would just tell us the director understood it was a bad outcome, not a good one.
It's still worth watching but the character of Phoebe Frost is cringey.
Unfortunately the movie is dated. Phoebe's (Jean Arthur) attitude is just entirely unrelatable in 2021. It's hard to even believe it was relatable in 1948 when the movie came out. She goes off on seeing couples kissing in the park? Seriously? She gets upset that a nightclub exists? Why? Why are we supposed to believe this character actually exists?
That cornball ending also didn't fit at all and by itself lowered the movie several points. I can't believe even in 1948 that was considered a good ending. It only works if you played the Sad Trombone Wah Wah Waaaah over it and even then that wouldn't make it good. It would just tell us the director understood it was a bad outcome, not a good one.
It's still worth watching but the character of Phoebe Frost is cringey.