💾 Archived View for gemini.arkholt.com › reviews › gasoline-alley.gmi captured on 2023-04-19 at 22:29:50. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Gasoline Alley

1951

3/5

This is the very definition of a perfectly fine movie. It's not necessarily exciting, but it isn't boring. There's conflict, but nothing you don't imagine won't get pretty easily resolved. There are some twists and turns along the way, but nothing you couldn't see coming. The acting isn't bad, but it isn't stellar. The characters aren't complete blank slates, but there isn't that much to them. It wasn't an unenjoyable experience, but not one that I would necessarily want to have again. It's not bad, but not great. It's just fine. Totally middle of the road.

Which is actually kind of sad. I really like the comic strip Gasoline Alley, at least the earlier era of it when Frank King was alive. King did live to see this movie get made, but he had already handed off the production of the Sunday comics to another artist, and it wasn't that many years afterwards that he handed off the strip entirely. This movie is a bit of an indication of what the strip became: completely, perfectly fine. I wish it had been more, but hey, I've seen far, far worse.