Merrily We Go to Hell is an early look at the ugly dangers of alcoholism. I appreciate that a film from so long ago tackled this kind of subject matter, and showed how this type of addiction can break down relationships. I thought the acting was good, and noticed that the movie never treated the people getting drunk as something humorous where we were intended to laugh along at all the "fun" they were having. It all felt depressing and dark. I also liked that they told this narrative through the framework of a somewhat traditional love story. Where I feel this movie falls a bit short and doesn't age so well is in the resolution. It feels disingenuous to structure a narrative where it seems like someone can just choose to abandon his addiction when it's for the right reason. I think there have been plenty of real-life examples to show that is not the case. Merrily We Go to Hell is a film that takes a big swing, and I can applaud it for the attempt. I think there have been more poignant movies made on the topic of alcoholism since then, but for its time I'm sure this was daring and ground-breaking.
Review of Merrily We Go to Hell
