Watch Piccadilly Jim

Piccadilly Jim is a 1936 romantic comedy directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Robert Montgomery, Frank Morgan, and Madge Evans. The film is set in London and revolves around the life of James Crocker Jr. (Robert Montgomery), a playboy and aspiring writer of sensationalist stories for the tabloids. James is the son of a wealthy American businessman who wants him to settle down and take over the family business. However, James has no interest in doing so, as he wants to pursue his own dreams of becoming a writer.

The story begins with James arriving in London to attend the wedding of his cousin Gerald (Ralph Forbes) to Ann (Heather Angel), whom James had briefly met before in New York. At the wedding reception, James meets Ann's sister, the lively and outspoken Eugenia (Madge Evans), whom he initially finds annoying. Later that night, James goes out on the town and gets into a bar fight, which results in him being arrested and thrown into jail. This leads to a series of comic mishaps, including James attempting to escape from jail and accidentally crashing a fancy party.

Meanwhile, back in the United States, James' father (Robert Benchley) has hired a private detective (Eric Blore) to follow James and report back on his activities. When the detective sends a report to Mr. Crocker, he mistakenly identifies Eugenia as James' mistress and demands that James return home immediately. This leads to a misunderstanding between James and Eugenia, as she believes that he has used her to make his father think he is settling down.

Despite the misunderstanding, James begins to fall in love with Eugenia and realizes that he wants to marry her. However, Eugenia is already engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Lord Wisbeach (Frank Morgan), who is not happy about James' interference. A series of comic misunderstandings and mishaps ensue, as James tries to win Eugenia's love and convince her to call off her engagement to Lord Wisbeach.

The film features many classic Hollywood tropes of the time, including mistaken identities, slapstick humor, and witty banter between the characters. The performances by the three leads, Robert Montgomery, Frank Morgan, and Madge Evans, are particularly strong, and they have great chemistry together onscreen. Montgomery is charming and debonair as James Crocker Jr., Morgan is hilarious as the eccentric Lord Wisbeach, and Evans steals the show as the feisty and independent Eugenia. The supporting cast is also strong, with notable performances by Robert Benchley as James' overbearing father, Eric Blore as the bumbling detective, and Heather Angel as James' cousin's fiancée.

Overall, Piccadilly Jim is a delightful and lighthearted romantic comedy that is sure to entertain audiences of all ages. The film's comedic moments are balanced with moments of genuine heart and emotion, and the performances by the cast are excellent. The film is a testament to the classic Hollywood style of filmmaking, with its witty dialogue, charming characters, and timeless themes of love, family, and following one's dreams.

Piccadilly Jim is a 1936 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.