Movie Review: Uptown New York (1932)
Synopsis: While eating a steak at a diner, bubble gum vendor Eddie Boyle rescues Patricia Smith from behind a stuck restroom door. They begin dating and she eventually agrees to marry him. However, Pat is still in love with Max, the surgeon she was in a relationship with until he agreed to an arranged marriage to an affluent woman to please his parents and provide financial backing for his practice. Things come to a head when Pat is seriously injured, and Eddie is forced to ask Max to perform the life-saving surgery.
Who's in it? The movie stars Jack Oakie, Shirley Grey, Leon Ames, George Cooper and Alexander Carr.
Review: I overslept by about 10 minutes this morning and, while there was still time to watch a movie, I had to settle for one that was shorter than my first choice. Uptown New York has been on my radar for a couple weeks, so I decided to give it a try. Overall, I think it was a good choice.
I think the thing that surprised me most about this movie was the love triangle seemed much more complicated than I first thought. I mean, I know the heart wants what it wants but Max (Ames) slept with Pat (Grey), basically told her he was marrying someone else because she wasn't good enough for his family then moved to Vienna for two years. It kind of felt as though that was something that should have immediately disqualified him as soon as he returned back in his life.
Eddie (Oakie) meanwhile, wasn't rich but he was ambitious and it was clear he cared about her and wanted to take care of her. Frankly, while she claimed the money didn't matter, it really did seem like money was the only plausible reason she would want a guy who left her for another woman he didn't even love.
All that said, it did make for an entertaining story because, even if Pat didn't go back to Max, the fact she still had feelings for him (and decided to wait until her wedding night to tell her husband she did) was something that had the potential to put a wedge between her and Eddie, especially since he had a jealous side and short fuse.
The way the movie brought the two men into the same room together was also clever because Pat's injury was one of those things that could go a number of different ways - she could become closer to Eddie, her gratitude over Max performing the surgery could rekindle that romance, or there was the chance she would die on the operating table, leaving both men in mourning. I wasn't sure which direction the filmmakers would choose to take. That lack of predictability kept me interested until the end.
Final Opinion: I might have liked it better had Eddie been given a chance to knock Max's teeth in at some point but, despite not understanding what Pat still saw in the surgeon, I thought it was a solid romantic drama and would recommend it.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other romantic movies:
Movie Review: Isle of Fury (1936)
Movie Review: The Lucky One (2012)
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