For Being Almost a Century Old, This Romantic Dramedy Is Much Darker Than You’d Expect

Alcoholism is one of those topics that Hollywood still seems spooked away from fully confronting, even to this day. It's impossible to actually commit to discussing alcoholism without making a film that's going to be uncomfortable and repellent to numerous audience members. Some outliers found mainstream embrace, like The Lost Weekendand Leaving Las Vegas, both of which got huge critical acclaim and won Oscars. One other similar film that eventually achieved a kind of retroactive acclaim is a gem from pre-Code Hollywood called Merrily We Go To Hell, which claims to be a comedy, but is pretty disturbing in its depiction of the very real consequences of dealing with alcoholism. Now a part of the Criterion Collection, it should be seen to be believed that a film could get away with making devastating alcoholism so funny.