Review of Road to Bali (1952) by Slappy M — 28 Apr 2009

The Road movies don't age particularly well despite genuine chemistry between Hope and Crosby including some good banter here and there. The real reason I am intrigued by them and rate them higher then I might otherwise is the relentless self-awareness of the films and direct addresses to the audience.

The films live and die on how well they wink and nod to the audience through jokes about their own plot conventions and the conventions (both artistic and as an industry) of Hollywood in general. The way the films play with their own artifice might not fully redeem the movies but they make them at least worth the occasional peak.