Directed by Clarence Brown
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
Turn-of-the century Americana centered around recent high school graduate Eric Linden, whose unconventional thinking puts him at odds with his conventional girlfriend, small-town closed-mindedness and overbearing family. Linden's performance, though endearing, is forced, at times resembling a Jimmy Stewart impersonation. In fact, one can't help but wonder what Stewart would have done with this part given the chance. Anyway, Linden waxes poetic in dreams of fancy, quoting Swinden or other favorite authors, which go over the head of everyone else. He breaks up with his girlfriend, gets drunk and ends up with a floozy. He sobers up and regrets it, of course, but has to explain it to his girlfriend and shocked family. Lionel Barrymore is the father and Wallace Beery is excellent as the drunk uncle, including a hilarious scene where he tries to act sober at the dinner table. It's very good, but could have been better.
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