Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1422. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

    1422. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 18, 2016 1941, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Comedy, Drama, Jul 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, United States
    7.6 Very clever
    • Acting 7.5
    • Directing 7.5
    • Story 7.8
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick

    Director: Preston Sturges

    Running Time: 90 mins


    Sullivan’s Travels is an American film about a Hollywood comedy director who decides to go out on the road acting as a tramp to find out about the plight of the poor, but soon finds something far more important.

    The highest praise that I can give this film is its effortless ability to take you to places that you never imagined it would go. Often an enjoyable comedy, Sullivan’s Travels hugely impresses in its latter stages with a very clever and moving message set against a surprisingly dark climax to the story, making for an absolutely fascinating watch.

    However, let’s start with what dominates the first half of the movie: the comedy. The film is never intended to be a riotous, laugh-out-loud comedy, but in its first two acts, there’s a lot of light humour to enjoy. Establishing its characters almost instantly, the great thing about Sullivan’s Travels is that it allows you to have a really fun time whilst following along to an ever more serious story.

    Early on, the side characters surrounding Sullivan in Hollywood make for a few good laughs, but the best comedy comes from his unexpected teaming up with a young actress who has failed to make it in Hollywood. Whilst once again presenting an interesting idea about how brutal show business is for aspiring stars, the best part about the two’s relationship is the comedy that comes from it.

    Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake have brilliant chemistry throughout, always impressing in their characters’ love-hate relationship early on. Whether they’re bickering or innocently chatting, there’s always a fantastic dynamic between the two, and that makes their relationship always engaging to watch.

    The film keeps up its comedic atmosphere for the best part of an hour, before turning to a surprisingly dark place. Normally, when films make such a drastic switch from comedy to drama, it can be jarring and unsatisfying, but I was stunned to see how Sullivan’s Travels got even better as it transitioned to a more serious side.

    I won’t spoil exactly what happens in the final act, but suffice to say it’s a story that you won’t see coming (not even one minute before it kicks off), and has amazing emotional power.

    In fact, the emotion is the icing on top of the cake in this film. On the one hand, the final act brings to light a devastating reality both to Sullivan and the viewer, but the ultimate goal of this film is to bring a positive message to all that are watching. Made just before the USA’s entry into World War Two, this filmĀ demonstrates how important comedy and happiness are. Even if they’re not as intellectually thrilling as a real-life drama, it was the only thing that was keeping people’s spirits up when the world was in pieces, and that’s a fascinating and ingenious idea that absolutely thrilled me.

    Overall, I really enjoyed Sullivan’s Travels. It’s not always a brilliant film, butĀ its two leads give wonderfully entertaining performances, and its ability to switch from a simpler comedy to an ingenious drama was stunning, and that’s why it gets a 7.6 from me.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.2
    Review
    May 19, 20160

    1355. The Commitments (1991)

    8.4
    Review
    September 27, 20130

    298. The Prestige (2006)

    8.1
    Review
    September 20, 20160

    1492. Captain Fantastic (2016)

    8.2
    Review
    July 15, 20140

    624. Romantics Anonymous (2010)

    8.2
    Review
    October 7, 20210

    3504. Inside Job (2010)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.