Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

SimonJack Although known mostly for his comedy and mystery-action roles, Cary Grant was in a number of drama films. Those were mostly in his early years, and he was quite good. In "Born to be Bad," Grant plays opposite Loretta Young who also is in a type of role she was much lesser known for in her career. Here, she plays a loose character, con artist and small-time crook who's willing to perjure herself and try any scam to make some money. She has no compunction about the proper upbringing of her young son, or concern for his future and well-being. She's quite happy to use him in any scam.Young was much more the established actor in 1934 and over time she became known for her roles as a decent woman, and caring and loving person. In this film, she commands top billing, along with a much meatier role. She plays Letty Strong. A young Jackie Kelk plays her son, Mickey, who's about 10 years old. He does very well in his role here, but as with most other childhood actors, he didn't have much of a career in films as an adult. Grant plays Malcolm Trevor, a wealthy dairy owner and caring and kind man. He's also no dupe to be hoodwinked by a scam, except possibly one of the heart. He and his wife, Alyce (played by Marion Burns) haven't been able to have children.The story takes off after Mickey is hit by a milk truck that Malcolm is driving; and Letty comes up with a scheme to bilk Trevor's company for serious damages. I won't divulge how the story plays out, except to say that a love triangle soon develops with the alluring Letty duping Malcolm into a romance that may lead to an end to his marriage.The film is a good look at Cary Grant in an early dramatic role, and Loretta Young in a diverse role. It's an interesting and entertaining film, but nothing special.

vincentlynch-moonoi This picture was right on the cusp of the Motion Picture Production Code, and as such it ran into quite a bit of trouble before its release.This film is on another "cusp" -- right during that period from about 1932-1934 when films were beginning to be sophisticated. This film was more sophisticated than some, but not as sophisticated as others.And interestingly, this film was made when Cary Grant had been making films for only a little over a year, and it shows Cary Grant before he was...well, Cary Grant. You see none of the Cary Grant persona here. He's just another actor near the beginning of his climb "up".So this film is interesting in the annals of film-making for several reasons, but that is not saying it's a very good film. It's overly simple and almost funny in a few places where it's not supposed to be. Loretta Young is quite good here, but her character is almost as low as they go...so you're not apt to like her role very much. But, she sure was beautiful.Watch this film...once...for the time frame in which it was made. But I doubt you'll come back a second time.

robb_772 An uneven melodrama, BORN TO BE BAD stays afloat thanks to it's talented cast and some interesting, surprisingly risqué pre-code moments. The film's "bad girl" storyline is routinely handled, but frequent references to promiscuity, direct dishonesty, adultery, and general amorality are shockingly blatant and would not be seen in the film world again until the sixties. Somewhat inspired by the similar Joan Crawford films of the early thirties, Loretta Young's Letty, the "heroine" of BORN TO BE BAD, openly uses sex and dishonesty as means of fulfilling her own selfish desires. She even seems to view her own child as little more than leverage in her illegal swindles, and the film offers very little rationale behind her wickedness - an odd stance for a film of it's era.The film also gains interest due to it's capable cast, featuring many soon-to-be-famous faces. A young Cary Grant and Henry Travers (best known as angel Clarence in 1946's It's a Wonderful Life) offer sincere and professional performances as the men in Letty's life, both of whom are polar opposites of the other. Loretta Young is cast very much against type as the dubious Letty, and she is not convincing for a single moment. However, she dives into the role with everything she's got, and it is a total hoot to watch her attempt to be believable as a cold-hearted femme fatale.The film has several other campy delights, particularly in trying to pass off the eleven year-old Jackie Kelk (in a rather grating performance) as Letty's supposedly seven year old son. The film also clearly takes place in some fantasy realm, where logic is thrown out the window in lieu standard plot devices. In this film, all of the good folks are ceremonious saints who only error when they are corrupted by a devilish woman like Letty, where as Letty inexplicably becomes a model citizen in the last few minutes of the film just for having known such good people. Naturally, it makes no logical sense whatsoever, but it sure makes one blissfully entertaining piece of camp cinema.

Steve Haynie Letty (Loretta Young) is a tramp. Early in the film she is established as a classy, attractive girl who appreciates fine things. The viewer is then given a shock when she suddenly changes in demeanor. I was impressed with the way Loretta Young was able to go from "nice" to "naughty" in one scene, giving away her character's true nature beyond a doubt. For nearly the full length of the movie we see Letty trying to cheat her way through life, convinced it is the only way to survive.Audiences of 1934 may have been looking for escapism in motion pictures, but I do not believe they could have found Loretta Young's character appealing. Pregnant at 15, she was taken in by a kind book store owner, but as she reached her early 20's she had taught herself and her son to win at any cost. In doing so, she becomes an escort to prominent men while her son, Mickey (Jackie Kelk), learns to be "street-wise" at a very early age. You could easily imagine Mickey ending up in prison. Having a lawyer offer advice on how to commit a new scam was a nice touch. Surely no one could feel sorry for Letty losing her son as an unfit mother. Loretta played that "unfit" part perfectly.Cary Grant really blended into the background in Born To Be Bad. His star was rising, but virtually any lead actor could have played Mal Trevor. Jackie Kelk was slightly older than his character, Mickey, at the time the movie was made. I found Mickey's change of heart to be a bit too easy, but as others have commented the movie is a bit short. Maybe with more time to show the supporting characters develop the movie would have made more sense. The only characters that really had any depth were Letty and Mickey.