classicsoncall Review of I'm No Angel

I'm No Angel (1933)

"When I was born with this face, it was the same as strikin' oil."

[7/10 · 12 January 2019]

Can it be said that Mae West in her movies was a caricature of herself? I can't recall if I've ever seen her in a movie before, but if so, she far surpasses in this one in what appears to be a defining effort. Throwing her feminine pulchritude around with sashaying abandon, West spouts more quotable one liners in this film than any one I've ever seen before, with the possible exception of Bogie in "The Maltese Falcon". The odd thing is though, I don't think she's all that good looking. She's got that slinky look and attitude going on, while appearing a bit frumpy at the same time. Without the glam attire, she might have been just another so-so actress during the era. I certainly couldn't get what Cary Grant would have seen in her if this were a real life situation, but it wasn't, so you'll just have to go along with the story and enjoy the ride. Circus performer Tira (West) has a personal motto that suggests 'find 'em, fool 'em, and forget 'em' as it pertains to the men in her life, but when Grant's character appears on the scene, she's smitten beyond the good fortune he brings to the table. It's upended when the weaselly Slick Wiley (Ralf Harolde) interferes, leading to a not quite credible courtroom scenario, but what the heck, audiences in the Thirties weren't particularly interested in realism. Everything eventually resolves in Tira's favor, proving once again for the unflappable film star, that "When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better".