The third pairing I've seen of Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor, and they just keep getting better. While I was more attracted to the technical aspects before, this time I thought a lot more about the story and what it was saying. Among the several things this had going on, what stood out the most to me was the examination of what love really is, and how each of the leads --but especially Farrell-- show it to each other as their relationship blossoms over the course of the film. Nearly as important, there were also two incompatible versions of manhood/masculinity on display. Which one wins at the end tells you what you need to know about which version is the correct one. And by dint of a major plot point, there's also a subsidiary message about having sympathy for, and acknowledging the full humanity of, the disabled. I know I've used these words a lot when describing the Borzage films I've seen recently, but they are truly apropos: Lucky Star is a sweet, heartfelt story with an important moral message, and provides yet another great showcase of Farrell and Gaynor's easygoing, natural chemistry. A "Hollywood movie" in the best sense.
Review of Lucky Star
