Go West, Young Man

Play trailer

Go West, Young Man

1936

1h 22m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

17%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Mavis Arden (Mae West) is a movie star known for her onscreen purity, even though she lives a riotous private life. When she gets involved with politician Francis X. Harrigan (Lyle Talbot) against her press agent's (Warren William) wishes, Mavis arranges to see her lover on her personal appearance tour. But she finds herself stranded in a small-town farmhouse after her limousine breaks down, and the situation is made more bearable by the appearance of the handsome Bud Norton (Randolph Scott).

Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

For anyone wanting a Mae West primer, you can't go wrong with including "Go West Young Man," an incisive and rather keen satire on both Hollywood and the working class.

Rated: A

Jun 30, 2021

Full Review

Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy)

Esquire Magazine

Mae West back in form.

Apr 20, 2020

Full Review

Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

The picture is funny and fast and holds up well; altogether it's the best Mae West film in a long time.

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Graham Greene

The Spectator

The wisecracks lack the old impudence, and seldom have so many feet of film been expended on a mere dirty look.

May 15, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Censorship took away most reasons to see this punch-less pic.

Rated: C+

May 1, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

georgan g

The plot was insane and made no sense. Luckily, there were enough one-liners from Mae West to keep the movie from being a total loss.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

too bad the censors butchered this

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

another campy classic from Mae

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If Mae West was in real life the way she appears in this movie, it's no wonder Cary Grant didn't like her. She's selfish, callous, and thoughtless. Nothing matters except her own gratification. I don't think I'll be watching more Mae West after the last one from this box set. It's not that they all have the same plot--they don't, really. She doesn't even always play the same character. She isn't always selfish, for one. But the actions are always implausible and the people are always sparsely-drawn. The interactions are shallow and unbelievable. That's the problem. I don't believe a thing these people are doing. I don't believe anything about how they're acting. The black character in this--say rather "caricature"--is even less believable than the others, despite the maids we've previously seen. I don't believe the ending, which is okay, because I don't believe the rest of the story, either. It's not even a pleasant little fantasy. There would be something to be said for that. But no, everyone in this movie is grasping and petty. Our Handsome Young Man (I can't remember any character's name from this!) is just dense. His girlfriend is stupid. Her mother (?) is a snob and a hypocrite. It makes you wonder, really--Mae West [i]wrote[/i] these movies. Is this how she sees people? Is this who she thinks they are? Or is it just that she thinks they're funny this way? Either way, I like to think she's wrong.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Henry Hathaway

Director

Mae West

Mavis Arden

Warren William

Morgan

Randolph Scott

Bud Norton

Alice Brady

Mrs. Struthers

Elizabeth Patterson

Aunt Kate Barnaby

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

View more photos

Synopsis

Mavis Arden (Mae West) is a movie star known for her onscreen purity, even though she lives a riotous private life. When she gets involved with politician Francis X. Harrigan (Lyle Talbot) against her press agent's (Warren William) wishes, Mavis arranges to see her lover on her personal appearance tour. But she finds herself stranded in a small-town farmhouse after her limousine breaks down, and the situation is made more bearable by the appearance of the handsome Bud Norton (Randolph Scott).

Director: Henry Hathaway
Producer: Emanuel Cohen
Screenwriter: Mae West
Production Co: Emanuel Cohen Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Aug 3, 2010
Runtime: 1h 22m