It Happened Tomorrow (1944)

Powerful

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Inane, tedious, mad-cap adventure where a couple think back to 50 years ago.After getting a newspaper that foretells the next day's events the evening before, Dick Powell and Linda Darnell face all sorts of ridiculous adventures along with her uncle Jack Oakie.Predicting news may be dangerous especially when there is a robbery involved and Powell becomes suspect when the robbery indeed occurs.Oakie, with a penchant for predicting the future, shows right away that he is completely off when he predicts that the Republican Party has no future as William Jennings Bryan would be the next president.The ending is like a Keystone Cop-like fantasy with all the running around, as Powell tries to avoid his predicted death.

This is one of those fun little comedies you get for moneys worth when you watch it. It has it all. Great Dialogue, funny characters and Linda Darnell...can't go wrong with that.A burgeoning reporter is about to graduate to full time reporter from the obituaries and throws a party at the office. An old reporter goes over his old stories and the other reporters think they ain't too important. He says, you can predict the future with these old stories. Dick Powell asks if it's true but doesn't believe it. The old guy pops up later and gives him the next days news in advance. He takes full advantage of it. With this he thinks he'll be ahead of the game getting the stories before anyone else. He doesn't predict the complications involved with knowing the future...and this is where the fun starts.This is one of those great old time pieces of the 40's. Funny and novel idea for a story and a great comedy cast to work it out. Linda Darnell is here for the obvious eye candy but she does it quite well. Unfortunately for her I believe she was a pretty decent actress but I'm bettin' the studios just saw her as the looks and not the talent so she never got to shine in really good roles. Dick Powell is pretty much the same in all his roles and this is no different. When you need a laugh though, he usually can get one. He's one of those actors you just can't help but like. Jack Oakie plays the uncle to Darnell and he's the steal of the film. What a loud mouth lovable guy. I think he has more lines than anyone just because he talks so much/fast. Great casting on him for sure.If you've ever seen Early Edition...the TV show... then you'll no doubt feel a familiar story with this one. Only difference being that this was 50+ years earlier and more fun. Grab a bag of chips, some dip and a tall glass of milk and have fun watchin this one.

Larry Stevens (Dick Powell) is a reporter who is mysteriously given the following day's newspapers by Pop Benson (John Philliber). At the same time, he begins to date Sylvia (Linda Darnell) who works as part of a stage act with Cigolini (Jack Oakie). Larry and Sylvia turn up to events that are yet to happen. What happens when Larry reads about his own death....?..The film has a good story and Dick Powell is funny as the reporter who knows it all. There are some funny scenes, eg, at the racetrack where he predicts all the winners, and when he is resigned to his own death and just has to accept it. Jack Oakie can be generally irritating but he is not so bad in this film. The cast all do well and the film is a slice of fun with a couple of twists at the end.

Certainly, the best reason to watch "It Happened Tomorrow" is that it is fun to watch, with an interesting premise, a story and characters that are pleasantly exaggerated to just the right degree, and a good pace that keeps things moving. But it's not without a point, either, and by keeping things from ever getting too serious, it's rather effective in its implied observations.The likable Dick Powell and the appealing Linda Darnell work well together, giving solid performances without trying to get more out of their characters than they should. Jack Oakie is nicely cast as the boorish uncle of Darnell's character, and he gets some very good moments.The premise of reading tomorrow's news is certainly familiar in other forms and from other pictures, but it is the kind of interesting idea that always works well when it is in good hands. René Clair has the right feel for it, keeping things light most of the time, and adding some creative details. The story is often very clever in showing the ways that the advance knowledge both influences and misleads the characters.The story moves fairly quickly, with some good period detail. It's an enjoyable movie and also, without being heavy-handed or obtrusive, illustrates some worthwhile ideas.