Christmas in July (1940)
1h 7m | PG-13
An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize.
Director: Preston Sturges
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Video: 720p
Cast
Dick Powell
as Jimmy McDonald
Ellen Drew
as Betsy Casey
Raymond Walburn
as Dr. Maxford
Alexander Carr
as Mr. Shindel
William Demarest
as Mr. Bildocker
Ernest Truex
as Mr. Baxter
Reviews
Smarter than you may at first think. On the surface this effort from the brilliant Preston Sturges looks like a standard sugar coated feel good movie, but strip away the outer skin and you get a delightful collage of comedy, romance, satire, drama, and nudge nudge observations about hunger of wealth and all the spin offs that wealth creates. I don't deem it unfair to state that the films core plot of frivolity may not be to everyone's taste, but to me personally it ticks all the boxes for a joyride with more at its heart. The pace of the film is more in keeping with screwball comedies of the great era, but that is not to say that the film doesn't shift down a gear for poignant reflection, because it does, but ultimately the film is full of hilarity from many quarters, that is acted out accordingly from a sparky cast, and of course directed by a deity . A joyous winner that prods you in the ribs and gives a cheeky wink along the way. 9/10