Sinners in the Sun (1932)

Overrated and overhyped

How sad is this?

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Sinners in the Sun (1932) *** (out of 4)Jimmie (Chester Morris) and Doris (Carole Lombard) are in love with each other but Doris wants riches and she's not sure Jimmie will ever be able to give them to her. They end up breaking up and before long she's in the arms of a married man (Walter Byron) while he finds himself married to a rich woman (Adrienne Ames). Before long Doris begins to think that money might not be everything.If you're looking for a great or hard-hitting plot then you're not going to find it here. SINNERS IN THE SUN is pretty much a standard story of a couple poor people who think money is the answer and they have to learn that it isn't more important than love. This type of rags to riches story was quite popular during the early sound days and this one here remains watchable thanks in large part to a great cast of characters.Morris has always been one of my favorite actors. He might not have ever became a huge star but I've enjoyed going through his career and this is certainly one of his better performances. At first he's style of speech and his delivery reminded me of Jimmy Stewart, although that actor hadn't yet even appeared in Hollywood. Morris gets a couple very good scenes including one where he lets loose on his former love and the actor did a terrific job here.The rest of the cast is extremely good as well with Lombard doing a very good job in her role of the woman who wants gold, gets it and lives to regret it. She's very good in the role and quite believable whether she's playing that small town girl or the spoiled rich one. The supporting players are nice as well and this includes a young Cary Grant in his second screen appearance. He doesn't have much to do but his few scenes are quite good. Alison Skipworth also gets a couple very funny scenes playing Lombard's mother.As I said, storywise SINNERS IN THE SUN is pretty silly and predictable but the actors make it worth sitting through.

Poor girl loves poor boy but is pursued by rich boy while poor boy finds himself pursued by rich girl. It's all in the shape of things that this oddly formed depression era comedy/drama features such frivolity during the darkest financial era of our country. Carole Lombard is feisty but sweet, turning down all the opportunities to go out seriously with playboy Walter Byron, while the man she loves (Chester Morris) has passes made by his own boss (Adrienne Ames). It's obvious that the two wealthy people have rebellious streaks which take them to the other side of the track, intending to get what they want then toss it aside like a new toy they've gotten bored with. It turns out that Byron already has a wife, causing Lombard's father to kick her out. Handsome Morris has it better with the noble Ames who tries to pull Morris into a marriage doomed from the start.This is silly and unbelievable from the start, but often very funny and ironic. Lombard is decked out in some wonderful chic clothes, hiding behind them and clamping in tears after learning about Morris's pending nuptials. I can see this helping young ladies deal with the depression, but giving a false indication of how it would all end. The young Cary Grant has a smallish role as another one of Lombard's admirers, and it is obvious that stardom was destined for him. Alison Skipworth plays Lombard's worried mother, quite a different type of role for her. It's an adequate time filler that uses the best of what made pre-code so fascinating. Of course, Carole Lombard could read the comics aloud and keep attention on her. The timeless quality of her personality is undeniable.

What's interesting about these projects is the collage.The story is simple: two young lovers. She refuses to marry him because he is poor. They break up and each become coupled with someone wealthy. They discover love is what matters so they reconcile.Its boring and predictable. The thrill is supposed to be in watching their debauched fun while rich. The cinematic device is the collage. We see a series of images, first of her and later of him. Images of partying, laughing, drinking. We are meant to infer wild sex, gluttony, but the collage is tame.That's because the technique within the collage is the swirl. Compared to the rest of the movie, indeed all movies of the era this collage was supposed have much shorter segments, more focused and abstract, whooshing by with lots of swirls in between.I'll bet it worked in its day. I'm sure it did. But today this brisk skating of images is the norm.Its a disturbing realization. Its not just the notation that's changed, is it? Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

A beautifully written and sometimes magnificently played serious movie. Chester Morris and Carole Lombard love each other, but she is terrified of the corrosive effects of the life of poverty that she foresees with Morris. So they break up and drift into lives as a kept woman and a gigolo.The two are almost perfect in their roles; Chester Morris plays a character who is almost unable to phrase a clear thought and pulls it off beautifully, for a wonderful payoff scene. Miss Lombard only fails in one scene, towards the end, when she is contemplating suicide: I blame the heavy-handed direction of it rather than her performance. But the movie is riddled with wonderful performances: the always excellent Alison Skipworth as Lombard's supportive mother; Reginald Barlow as the father who gives her no chance; Adrienne Ames and Walter Byron as their likable seducers. Particularly good is Rita La Roy, an actress whom I have never noticed before, as a kept woman who kills herself -- alas, this was her best part in the movies, After her career faded out she sold yachts. Cary Grant is also present in a small role, in his second movie, but if you're not paying attention to the soundtrack you could easily miss him: his voice was far more distinctive than his good looks at this stage of his career.There is a happy ending, but it feels forced. That is the one flaw in this movie. Otherwise it is well worth your time.