Merrily We Go to Hell

Directed by Dorothy Arzner, Merrily We Go to Hell follows a wealthy heiress (Sylvia Sidney’s Joan) as she meets and falls for a charming alcoholic named Jerry Corbett (Fredric March) – with the movie detailing the rocky relationship that inevitably ensues between the seemingly mismatched pair. Filmmaker Arzner, armed with Edwin Justus Mayer’s screenplay, does an effective job of initially luring the viewer into the proceedings, as Merrily We Go to Hell‘s opening stretch is focused on the appealing meet-cute that brings the two central characters together – with the impact of this sequence certainly elevated by the stirring, charming efforts of both Sidney and March. From there, however, the picture segues into a far-from-propulsive midsection that can’t help but feel a little repetitive due to its ongoing emphasis on Joan and Jerry’s marital problems (ie it’s scene after scene of Jerry drunkenly screwing up and Joan forgiving him, essentially). The movie’s third act, which is capped off with a memorably downbeat finale, ultimately secures Merrily We Go to Hell‘s place as a decent-enough endeavor from Arzner, although there’s no getting around the feeling that the whole thing would’ve been well-served by some serious streamlining.

**1/2 out of ****