Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Luecarou What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

Antonius Block What a ridiculous title. Ignore it, it has nothing to do with this movie about two sisters, one of whom (Anita Page) is married to an abusive deadbeat (Norman Foster), and the other of whom (Marian Marsh) is dating a humble deliveryman (Regis Toomey). As Marsh witnesses Page's marriage and her need for money for a divorce, she resolves to marry for money instead of love, and later catches a rich man's eye (Warren William) when she fills in for a model. She goes up to William's wild penthouse pool party where William practically salivates over her, asking her to swim in his suave voice by saying "Why not take off your clothes and stay awhile?" He's great in the film, and it's a pretty strong cast. There are the seemingly requisite pre-code underwear scenes, as well as some pretty snappy 30's dialog between the couples, which keep the film entertaining, but I hated the way the film played out, so it's a mixed bag for me.

kidboots Marian Marsh should have had a bigger career - she had a doll-like prettiness, was sweet and when the role called for it (ie "Five Star Final" (1931)) a good little actress. "Under 18" had been given a lot of publicity but failed dismally at the box office and when Marian rebelled, Warners unceremoniously dumped her. She then started the uncertain path of freelancing. It"s not hard to understand why the public stayed away. The theme was typical of a lot of movies at the time - the plight of the poor working girl, faced with mountainous problems and no money - what's a girl to do? The publicity may have talked this up, the title "Under 18" was lurid but a tease and had nothing to do with the plot. Were Warners really going to let their sweet little ingenue, Marian Marsh, find the money she needs (for her sister's divorce) "the easiest way" - not on your life!!! The movie promised much but didn't deliver, anyway Constance Bennett had the market cornered on these types of movies - at least she really sinned before she saw the light!!!Margie Evans (Marian Marsh) hopes, some day, to find the same happiness as her sister, Sophie (Anita Page) who is about to marry her dream man Alf (Norman Foster). A few years down the track, Alf is a loafer who is allergic to work and if ever a wife could drive her husband around the bend it is Sophie, who has turned into a nagging drudge. They turn up at Margie and her mother's flat and within a few days have turned Margie from a contented, soon to be married (to Jimmie) starry eyed girl to one who desperately wants to escape the drudgery of tenement life. (A weird thing - when Sophie arrives at the flat she is carrying a baby in her arms but the next morning the baby has turned into a toddler!!!)When all the girls are at lunch, Margie, who is a seamstress, is asked to model a fur coat for playboy about town, Raymond Harding (Warren William makes the most of a supporting role) and his latest flame (Claire Dodd). Nothing comes of it but when Sophie announces she is fed up with Alf and wants a divorce, Margie remembers Raymmond's kindness (he sent her mother some flowers) and goes to him for a loan (the lawyer has asked for a $200 fee). She goes to his penthouse - he happens to be throwing a pool party and after a few "suggestive" scenes including bathing suits and peignoirs, Jimmie (Regis Toomey) bursts in. He is angry and goes to give Margie a good slap, then decides to hit Raymond instead. Raymond falls to the ground and suddenly it looks as though Jimmie is facing a murder charge!!The movie juggles it's moods between high drama and hijinks. For a movie made before the code it did not deliver on it's promises. For every scene of Marsh in a moral conflict, the next shows her snuggling contentedly up to Jimmie in the front seat of his bread van, whistling "Happy Days Are Here Again". Talking pictures showed up Page's limitations as an actress. The hysteria and dramatics that worked so well and got her noticed in "Our Dancing Daughters" and "Our Modern Maidens", didn't seem to work in "Under Eighteen". I also recognised beautiful, but uncredited Lillian Bond as a disheveled girl in an elevator.Recommended.

MartinHafer This is a very entertaining film and I enjoyed it very much, though I am quick to admit that it was far from sophisticated or polished. In so many ways, this is a wonderful example of a so-called "pre-Code" style of film--since it features story lines and dialog that would have been forbidden in Hollywood just a few years later thanks to pressure to actually enforce a rigid code of conduct and standards in film. Much of this pressure was not just from civic groups, but also due to flagging ticket sales, as the often explicit pre-Code films did well in urban areas but alienated so many other viewers. By today's standards, this film is relatively tame, but it's jaded views on marriage and sex may catch many today by surprise due to its frankness! The film starts with the younger sister (Margie) seeing her older sister get married and set off on the perfect life. However, soon afterwords, her father dies and she and her mother are forced to move to a low-rent apartment and life is a struggle. A bit later, her happy older sister and her husband and baby arrive--apparently the husband is really a lazy good-for-nothing and married life for sis is a living hell! In fact, throughout the first half of the movie, Margie is bombarded with so many messages that being a "nice girl" just doesn't pay and the way to get ahead is to sleep your way out of poverty! Granted that most times there is a friend or co-worker or boyfriend Jimmy who insists that in the long run this isn't true, but this view is definitely hard to believe based on how happy and successful the "bad girls" all seem to be! So, eventually, Margie feels compelled to try her hand at being bad--or at least by being a bit bad--by chasing rich playboy, Raymond Harding. Harding appears to be a very rich lecher and he seems so smitten with Margie that she seems sure to get the $200 she needs for her sister to divorce her rotten husband.The end of the movie is very satisfying to watch on one level but intellectually it seems like it was all very contrived. In other words, in the last few minutes of the film, the viewer was bombarded with a ton of wonderful endings that wrapped everything up too well to be believed. Few of these elements could rationally be believed, but for EVERYTHING to work out perfectly is a bit hard to accept. Plus, the final message of "nice girls really DO finish first" is muddled, as for so many bad girls in the film, they really did seem to end up better than the average nice lady! By the way, despite the title, there is no indication from the film that Margie or anyone else is underage and committing some sin! While Marian Marsh ("Margie") does look young, she seems to be playing a woman about 18 (her actual age at the time) and there's no mention of her being underage. I think the title was applied rather randomly--just in a jaded effort to encourage ticket sales due to salacious expectations by the audience! Also, Ms. Marsh just died last November--at the ripe old age of 93. Her older sister in the film, Anita Page, from what I can determine is still alive and as of 1/07, is in her 96th year!

Alix1929 This song was popular in the depression, so it's not a big surprise that one of the characters in this movie whistles it on the way to work. By the end of this movie, "happy days ARE here again," but for most of the picture you sure wouldn't think so! Directed by the capable Archie Mayo, this movie offers a chance for viewers today to see a wonderful contrast between the have and have nots of the 1930's.Young Margie (played by Marian Marsh) who must be "under eighteen," works to help support her family now that her father has died. The family now consists of her older sister Sophie (Anita Page), her husband Alf, and their little baby. Margie is a seamstress in a NYC shop that makes and sells fashionable gowns. Margie's nobody's dummy--she sees the beautiful models attracting rich sugar daddies and dreams of the life she could have...if only! Her poor-but-honest-and-hard-working boyfriend, Jimmy (Regis Toomey) offers her stability and respectability , which she accepts until Sophie shows her a side of married life that is undesirable. One day at work, she meets ladies man Howard Raymond (Warren William), gets the opportunity to model a beautiful fur coat for him, and he charms her. A swiss cheese sandwich, an invitation to his penthouse, and a desperate need for money lead to trouble for Margie.This pre-Code is rich in 1930's flavor. Raymond's penthouse apartment is an Art Deco delight, while the apartment where Margie's family lives is the exact opposite. Warren William is an absolute standout as the seducer of young women, a role he played many times, but no time better than in this movie! When young Margie shows up at his penthouse, he is outside on the roof, swimming in his pool. He invites her to stay and swim with the comment, "Take off your clothes and stay awhile." I was lucky to accidentally catch this movie on TCM. It doesn't show very often, but would be certainly worth your time, if it appears in the line up again.