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Born to Be Bad

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An unwed mother (Loretta Young) sues and woos a millionaire (Cary Grant) who runs over her no-good son (Jackie Kelk) with a milk truck.

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Even by standards of Depression melodramas, this banal woman's picture, about a single mom forced to give up her son to guardian parents, further suffers from a weak perfromance by Cary Grant and unconvincing one from Loretta Young. Rated: 2/5 Feb 11, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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steve d When you can't root for Grant they did something wrong. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Scandalous, even for our time.... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review bill t Not a bad Stella Dallas clone here about a... ahem.. "free thinking" woman raising a son. When her son is hit by a milk truck, she sees dollar signs and gets the boy to feign more injuries. He's caught in court though, and the kid is taken away from her. The kid is adopted by the milk company president though, and she tries every way to get him back, even though the rich life may be the best for him. Some good lines in this pre-code movie, but somewhat predictable ending though. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A woman like you doesn't deserve a child Letty Strong became pregnant at fifteen and is determined to raise her son to be strong, street smart, and never to be taken advantage of. She doesn't care how she gets the money to raise him or from whom. Her son falls into legal issues and she loses him temporarily. She will stop at nothing to see him and remain an intricate part of his life...even if it means passing up on love. "I don't like school. I've already got plenty of brains." Lowell Sherman, director of False Faces, Night Life of the Gods, High Stakes, Bachelor Apartment, The Royal Bed, and Broadway thru a Keyhole, delivers Born to be Bad. The storyline for this picture is very good and Loretta Young delivers an amazing performance (she was 21 years old in this film and this was her 49th film). The cast as a whole is amazing and also stars Cary Grant, Jackie Kelk, and Marion Burns. "If you're going to dish it out you better be able to take it." I came across this film while looking for Cary Grant pictures and decided to DVR it. I was pleasantly surprised by the greatness of this gem. I had never heard of it and have not seen many Young pictures. She was amazing in this film and even stole the light from the great Cary Grant (one of my all time favorites). I strongly recommend seeing this picture. "If you don't do you're gonna get done." Grade: A Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member An early attempt on Grant's part, most of the film is less of an actual film and more of a cautionary tale for the nymphets and flappers still left over from the roaring twenties. At least the film is carried on the backs of two of the best stars of the day. Old Hollywood legends Cary Grant and Loretta Young are the main reason to watch this venture, not for any superb performances, because neither shines in this dour picture. Grant is still wet behind the ears, having followed Mae West around like a lovesick puppy in his last two films, and was completely wrong for the part of the golden boy philanthropist with a bendable will. Loretta, as the loving mother with a bad girl streak, is perfectly in her element but falls flat with extremely lax dialogue and ridiculous supporting characters. The financial aspect of the film, which is part of the plot, makes no sense, and the fact that she's a mother makes even less sense. The film feels cut up and censored, and most of the more mature themes are so watered down and ill used that it's little more than a morality tale. It's short, and mind numbingly self-indulgent, soapy and melodramatic, and there's little to this film except some early examples of Grant and Young's acting. Easy to miss, I assure you. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member People sure fall in love quickly in the movies. Now I know why I've never heard of this one before. Pretty lame. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Born to Be Bad

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis An unwed mother (Loretta Young) sues and woos a millionaire (Cary Grant) who runs over her no-good son (Jackie Kelk) with a milk truck.
Director
Lowell Sherman
Producer
Darryl F Zanuck
Screenwriter
Ralph Graves
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 6, 2004
Runtime
1h 10m