The Age of Consent

Directed by Gregory La Cava, The Age of Consent follows college sweethearts Mike (Richard Cromwell) and Betty (Dorothy Wilson) as their relationship is tested after Mike’s drunken dalliance with an underage waitress (Arline Judge’s Dora). It’s an inherently salacious premise that is, at the outset, employed to unspectacular, forgettable effect by La Cava, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by Sarah Y. Mason and Francis Cockrell, initially delivers a sluggish and palpably meandering drama that contains few, if any, elements designed to capture and sustain the viewer’s interest – with the arms-length feel compounded by Cromwell and Wilson’s woefully bland work in the central roles. There’s little doubt, then, that The Age of Consent benefits substantially from Judge’s quirky, attention-grabbing performance and a progressively melodramatic narrative, and it’s clear, certainly, that the improved atmosphere paves the way for a far more entertaining final third than one might’ve anticipated – with the end result a thoroughly hit-and-miss endeavor that feels a little long even at just 63 minutes.

**1/2 out of ****