Kentucky

Starring: Loretta Young, Richard Greene, Walter Brennan, Douglass Dumbrille, Karen Morley, Moroni Olsen, Russell Hicks, Willard Robertson, George Reed, Bobs Watson
Directed by: David Butler
Rating: Passed
Genre: Drama, Romance
1938

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A feud between two families in Kentucky takes unexpected turns as the mantle passes from one generation to the next.

Review:

Tim: Kentucky feels like a movie with good individual pieces that never quite comes fully together. David Butler has some strong elements to work with, but the movie ultimately feels like less than the sum of its parts. The movie is a romance, but it also has this long time dispute between two families. It's also a movie about horse racing in Kentucky, with all the cultural and almost-religious fervor that comes with it. Each of these elements can and should work, but Butler can't weave them effectively together. In the end, the movie feels like a bit of a bore. It's overly predictable and doesn't feel special in the least.

I never felt very engaged with the story. It starts out decently enough- it takes us back into past to show the start of the feud between the Goodwins and the Dillons. This is a bit hard to watch, as it's brutal and stark. It's a nice way to begin and you feel the movie tug at your heartstrings. Then, abruptly, the backstory ends and we're whisked away to "modern" times. This felt a bit disruptive to me. It takes us a long time to get connected with these new characters and to develop any sort of feelings for them. I think the movie would have been better served to introduce the main characters first and then fill in the history with a flashback scene later. As is, the introduction feels much more compelling than anything that follows. The movie gets off to a bad start and Butler is never able to turn the ship around.

The contemporary story feels forced and too simple. It takes some beats from Romeo & Juliet, although there's never the sense of tragedy that Shakespeare's play embraces. This is a light piece of romantic drama and it never challenges the audience too much. We see this budding romance between a Dillon and a Goodwin, but it never feels earned nor compelling. The script is rough- Sally Goodwin makes some odd choices in never confirming the identity of this man she hires. It all causes you to roll your eyes a bit. The plot is predictable and a bit plodding, never really grabbing your attention during its quick 1 hour, 36 minute run time. The film unfolds about as you expect and it never gives you a reason to especially care.

Loretta Young was fine in the lead role of Sally. She's strong and (mostly) intelligent and we generally like her. She is kind and ambitious in a way. Young never gives a great performance, but she mostly works in the role. You could say the same thing about Richard Greene. He's perfectly fine in the role of Jack Dillon. He's never especially good nor interesting, but he gives a harmless performance with just enough chemistry to sort of root for him. I wouldn't say Young and Greene have great chemistry, but they were perfectly fine.

Walter Brennan is noteworthy for obtaining the film's only Academy Award nomination- for Best Supporting Actor. Indeed, he takes home the Oscar for his work here. This was only the 3rd time Best Supporting Actor awards were given and it's Brennan's second. It felt somewhat unearned. Brennan is fine in the role here- indeed, he brings more energy to the part than either Young or Greene. However, Brennan's first win, in Come and Get It felt much more substantial, required more from him. This role feels safer, easier. It surprises me that Brennan won. It's not that he's not good- he absolutely is. It's just a bit less remarkable than his first win. He must have been well-liked. Moroni Olsen gave a decent supporting performance, too. I liked the work he did here.

Kentucky might have worked better if it felt more like an epic story of conflict among Kentucky families. As is, it's too narrow, too small-minded to be very good. Butler directs the film like it's a chore, a task to get done. The story goes through the expected beats, ticks all the boxes it's supposed to. There's just never any fire or life in the proceedings. This might not be a bad movie, but in a decade where some of the all-time classic films were released, it's obvious this one is a far cry from their level. It's a perfectly fine movie, but it's disappointing because it had some solid elements in place. It feels like a movie that squandered its strengths. It's okay, but eminently forgettable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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