Popular reviews

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  Review by Lencho of the Apes ★★★ 4

  With its sarcastic narrative voice, and the ingeniously-deployed tricks it plays with film grammar for comic effect, some of this was genuinely funny; it runs out of steam somewhat after a certain point, but it continued coasting along at high speed long enough that it was only very near the end that I realized they'd been spinning their wheels for a good long time. [/mixed metaphor] Not many comic filmmakers were so sure of themselves that they'd craft a running gag finding the ridiculousness in 1920s haute couture and leave it constantly in the background without calling attention to it.

  But you'll have to be tolerant of the pungent misogyny: HE is always right, and SHE-1 and SHE-2 are always…

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  Review by PUNQ ★★★

  A motivated flop. The main draw of So This Is New York (1948) is trying to turn radio star Henry Morgan into a movie star. Didn't work. While he had some of the dry wit about him, his personality was just as dry. The hot dames and bunch of guest stars do compensate. Clearly not in a way to get their money back, but enough to entertain me with this nonsense.

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  Review by Nathan Rabin ★★★½

  This is a funny little sleeper. Look for a review at The Dissolve.

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  Review by AHackFraud ★★★

  Early comedy from Richard Fleischer, delivered through the dry wit of the narrator, that is formally inventive especially for its time; by my count, this includes frequent freeze frames, slow motion and even subtitles for comedic effect. The repetitive, episodic encounters with suitors gets tiring, but, if nothing else, this is equal to or greater than most Woody Allen comedies (and certainly exhibits a more talented comedic filmmaker).

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  Review by soulmarcosa ★★★

  An ever-sarcastic Henry Morgan deadpans the hell out of a witty script aimed mostly at skewering various denizens of NYC circa 1919. If you like screwball comedies, Don Rickles and dad jokes, do not hesitate!

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  Review by Mark Alvarez ★★★½

  As a New Yorker myself, I found this satire (about a man and his family who move to New York and encounter many oddball characters and situations) to be pretty entertaining (if not sometimes stereotypical).

  Leading man Henry Morgan may not have had much film experience, but he really shines in this role, using his iconic sarcasm well as he suffers his family and acquaintances. Almost all of his lines are great.

  The film falters a bit in the second half; the plot begins to get repetitive, and the film also makes the mistake of giving the protagonist's sister more screentime. Unfortunately, as she is a very annoying character, this didn't work out.

  But as someone who can take a joke, I enjoyed this slightly sensationalized take on the Big Apple.

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  Review by simon evans ★★★★

  Some months later and a second showing of this movie does not change my original review. Wonderful performances from all and comedy that is way ahead of it's time. Thoroughly entertaining and some great old footage of New York. Most of the movie makes it look like it was filmed on a small budget due to the many one room scenes, but this does not take away from the excellent production values on show. Highly recommended. Great blu ray print.