Review of Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

I don't, as a rule, write reviews of films that I have seen, believing as I do that there are others who do a far better job than I could. With this one I thought I'd pitch in. This is a tedious drama and I have to say a waste of valuable time watching it. It stems from a bad script which often comes across as ludicrous and stilted. The story is a thin one that fails to engage any interest in the events as they unfold. It strives for sentiment and humour but fails masterfully. This has obviously hamstrung the direction and the acting. There are three strong leads here in Woolley, Lupino and Wilde but all are wasted. Sara Allgood is miscast and Melville Cooper appears for a minute at most. It finishes on a happy ending and I was happy to have finished with it. If you are reading this after watching it, then it is too late. If you are trying to decide whether it is worth the effort I have no hesitation in advising you it is not.