Parents' Guide to

It Happened One Night

By Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Still one of the best screwball comedies.

Movie NR 1934 105 minutes
It Happened One Night Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

Light and airy fun

Charming...whimsical...far-fetched...and light. This film is obvious and predictable but that does not mean it is not fun ride. Perhaps because it encapsulates our pre-conceived ideas of what 1934 was like and overshadow that whole the Great Depression thing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (5):

As fresh today as it was in 1934, this sharply written comedy is great fun from setup on through its lively, suspenseful final minutes. An instant hit in 1934, It Happened One Night was the first movie to win all five major Academy Awards. The manic story line established the formula for screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

Frank Capra was a wonderful director with a knack for squeezing the charm out of his actors, which is evident all over the place here. He and screenwriter Robert Riskin would team up again for Meet John Doe.

Movie Details

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