The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

Preston Sturges is considered one of the great comedic directors of the classic Hollywood era, with a handful of hits in the 1940s that are often cited as his best works. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek is among them. You might take this as an indication that it is a great piece of timeless comedic filmmaking. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong.

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek is structured like a screwball comedy. It is full of zany high jinx and wild situations just like any good screwball comedy should be. However, it seems to think that zaniness and high energy chaos is an end unto itself. It reminds me of the spread of “random” humor in the ‘90s, both in online forums and on TV shows like Invader Zim. A small number of people understood how to wield the tool to find genuine comedy in unexpected juxtapositions. The vast majority, however, came to the incorrect conclusion that random equals funny, which was never true. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek is the same way with zaniness. It isn’t zany to underscore an amusing story or compelling romance, a la Bringing Up Baby, it is zany just to be zany.

Another problem with the film is that it seems its other selling point, beyond its zaniness, is its provocative thematic material… for the time it was released. It deals with one night stands and unexpected pregnancies, which was shocking for the 1940s and is nothing special in a time where the unmarried status of the characters in Knocked Up is easily the least shocking thing in the movie. Good classic movies stand out from their peers by having a timeless element to them. When the edgy and provocative material is stripped away from The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek there isn’t much left. There is a bit of an emotional center to the story, but it is like a World War II era American Pie: 90% shock and only 10% heart. In both cases, as the shock diminishes in value there isn’t enough heart to carry what remains of the film.

To be clear, the shock elements of the film don’t break from 1940s conventions in a way that unlocks fresh storytelling ideas or filmmaking techniques. It does so exclusively to tweak the nose of establishment conventions. The central couple’s atypical relationship doesn’t distance itself from other romantic comedy films of the same era. It follows enough of the familiar elements that I actually expected the story to veer back into safer territory by resolving the couple’s issues in a more traditionalist way. Ironically, even in not doing that The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek reveals itself to be mostly interested in how it isn’t being traditional than why it isn’t being traditional. This hurts the timelessness of the film.

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek isn’t necessarily a bad film. It was probably something really fresh and cutting edge when it was released. However, many decades of shifting cultural and social mores have made the surprise value of its comedy much less biting and much more dated. As such, it is the very definition of a film of its time.

Would Recommend: If you fall into the very narrow demographic of those conservative enough to still find its material funny but not so conservative that you find its material too transgressive.

Would Not Recommend: If your comedic sensibilities post-date Porkies.