Being the devil's advocate, I hazard to say that, as a progenitor of screwball comedy under the craftsmanship of Howard Hawks, who would in due course bring into fruition of quintessential specimens like BRINGING UP BABY (1938) and HIS GIRL Friday (1940), TWENTIETH CENTURY has lost much of its luster compared with his nearest cousin, Frank Capra's more sought-after IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), came out in the same year, and another commonality: both movies have Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns in the supporting cast. The plot can be boiled down to a sado-msochistic relationship between an egoist Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe (Barrymore) and a prima-donna Lily Garland (Lombard), née Mildred Plotka, a lingerie model turns theatre star under his exclusive tutelage. While it seems that the Jaffe- Garland collaboration is synonymous with success, their relationship actually comes apart at the seams due to Oscar's ingrained controlling nature and objectification of Lily as his private property. When Lily eventually leaves him and Broadway, and subsequently becomes triumphant in Hollywood, Oscar's theatre output continues to slump sans his muse, his company is going to the wall, only two put-upon sidekicks Oliver Webb (Connolly) and Owen O'Malley (Karns) show their loyalties, both have an inclination of intemperance though, a career hazard by working for Oscar far too long. But fate reunites them and Lily on the 20th Century Limited from Chicago to New York, can Oscar win her heart back, or if that is quite a long shot, at least he can persuade her to sign a new contract with him, to halt his business downturn?Both Barrymore and Lombard chew up the scenery to the hilt and apparently wallow in their verbal tit-for-tat, but in the eyes of a new audience from the 2lst century, unfortunately Barrymore's overbearing lunacy and Lombard's sentimental tomfoolery do not chime with today's aesthetic values, there is no sympathy or empathy can be teased out, in spite of its initially charming divertissement of the duo's two-play rehearsal segment, the story begins to pall once the train journey starts. A subplot pivots around a lunatic on board (is there only one?) , Mr. Clark (Girardot), a diminutive but harmless asylum escapee, actually makes for a wackier farce than the central bawling game, it is an ominous sign for this odd satire, don't tell me it represents the hallmark of talkie in that era, that simply cannot be true!

one of the gems, like ninotchka, thin man, glorious black and white, hotel rooms and offices the size of milwaukee, intelligent, witty writing, crisp directing, good to great acting, and only a 9 because it's not about anything particularly important; it's entertainment, with brilliant lombard gradually growing in every way more like her bamboozling impresario; this is the one that put her star up forever, though her role in my man godfrey is hard to beat; B characters all solid, and the brilliant profile, though hard to beat his dinner at eight- yes, the drunk gets a bit weary, but the slow, silent suicide is impeccable; open some champers and have fun watching

Wow this one was a total surprise. What a fantastic treat for a quiet night of film viewing. Don't let the decade spoil you off of watching this comedy gem.Basic premise is a very talented/successful Broadway Producer finds a very untalented model turned actress. He sees something in her and decides to push her to her abilities that she doesn't know she has. He pushes and pushes and finally...she and her personality...spring to life. She becomes successful and highly praised for her performances but his grip on her is so tight...she decides she's had enough and leaves...for the dreaded...Hollywood.Fast forward a few years and many of his plays have failed miserably since she departed but a chance meeting on a New York bound train...The Twentieth Century...turns into a chance to get his career...and her...back in his life.By the end of this film you are laughing so much you forget that this was made back in 1933. Proves that old stuff can easily rival new comedies. The main point in this film is the acting performances. I can't tell you how great John Barrymore and Carole Lombard are this. He is so over the top it's hysterical. He acts his way through this like the theater trained actor that he is. Carole Lombard is so funny as the nothing turned to diva it rivals any performance she's ever done by a country mile.What you'll get in the end, if you think about it, is the characters played by Barrymore and Lombard...are one in the same. The end scene is so drop dead funny but also poetic. She fights him in the end again about how to act on the stage and when you take it into account...she's turned into him...Overly Dramatic and over the top.An absolutely wonderful film.

Here is yet another classic film that, up to now, I have never seen. John Barrymore was not noted for his comic performances, yet he is so damn funny here your sides ache from laughing. Carole Lombard had her first great comic performance in this laugh-a-minute film, which highlights the love-hate relationship between a Broadway producer and his greatest female star. There are also some great character people in this, like Walter Connely and Charles Lane, billed here as Charles Levison. This comedy is based on a stage play, but the dialouge goes by so fast that you hardly notice this fact. This film is considered by many to be the first "screwball" comedy. It was made for a depression-era audience, yet it's comedy resonates well today. A must-see.