FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
GManfred
This was written by Edmund Goulding, prolific writer and director, and songwriter Irving Berlin. Most of Berlins' songs were omitted from the final production and what remains is a tribute to the fertile mind of Goulding. The story is clever and interesting, and is nearly forgotten nowadays. It deserves a better fate. It stars two who were popular in the 20's and 30's and it is particularly interesting to witness the acting skills of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Here, he has a comic/dramatic role as a business tycoon who has no time for women - until he meets Bebe Daniels, a society celeb who decides to 'infatuate' the invulnerable Fairbanks. The stars play well off each other and you may be surprised by the depth of Fairbanks' acting range. There are, alternately, scenes of comedy and romance, and all play very well with audiences of any era. The big surprise, as noted, is Fairbanks. This picture is not as bad as the website rating and may be the fact that it is dated and some aspects haven't aged well. Give it a try if it comes on old, reliable TCM again.
MartinHafer
"Reaching for the Moon" is a love story about a rather obnoxious millionaire (sort of like Tony Stark of the 1930s) and a woman's attempts to hook him. Despite his playboy reputation, it seems the guy is pretty indifferent to women up until Bebe Daniels sets her sights on him. A far cry from real life, as Fairbanks was quite the playboy.This is a very rough film, as the plot seemed a bit flat (similar stuff was done much better a few years later--such as the films of Astaire and Rogers) and Douglas Fairbanks' voice was a bit thin. Plus, his advancing years made him a little less believable as the male stud-muffin that he played here. He was frankly a very far cry from his handsome leading man days of the silent era. It also didn't help that the copy on Netflix's on-demand feature was terrible. The print looked very degraded and I am surprised they featured a film in this condition. Frankly it's not a bad movie but in this condition it's really not worth the trouble except for silent film fans wanting to see one of Fairbanks' few sound films.
fitzbe
I didn't know they made movies about scoring back in the 30s. The Jeckel/Hyde effects of Edward Everett Horton's "spanish fly" brew are a hoot. I found this gem on a miss marked double feature Bing Crosy DVD at the dollar store. The DVD titled "Road to Hollywood"/"Sound of Laughter" did not contain the film "Sound of Laughter" but instead "Reaching for the Moon" This copy contained no opening or closing titles or credits, indeed the menu screen was just a still frame from the middle of the picture with the sole option of "Play". With "zip" for information, It took me some time just to Identify the title. There is a token appearance of Bing Crosby in the film to sing one song. Fairbanks, Horton and Bebe Daniels all sparkle in this Society film about a beautiful flirt and the wall-street tycoon she taunts.
ready4fun01
At not quite 71 minutes, the version of this film that I have seen is even shorter than the theatrically shortened version listed by IMDb, although it does retain the Crosby footage. Perhaps the severe editing is one reason that I found this to be the most confused (and confusing) film of its period. We are given no clue as to why characters suddenly behave in a completely different way than they have previously conducted themselves, allegiances dissolve and reform for no apparent reason, and what might have made for an interesting plot twist (the introduction of drugs into a cocktail by Horton as valet) becomes no more than an excuse for Fairbanks's financial wizard to leap around his stateroom like a monkey playing football. Still, all the actors seem to be giving it everything they've got, trying to put the script across, and being able to see the three leads and Bing at the top of their games is the only thing that makes this movie watchable.
