Is there such a thing as appreciating melodrama while being amused by it? If so, that is what this film does for me. Everything that other users have said about the overacting, wordiness, exaggerated characterizations, etc. is true, but somehow it still works and produces an enjoyable movie.<br /><br />Bogie is fabulous as always (although he does hold his arms a bit like a primate when he walks), Leslie Howard is playing the watery romantic that Leslie Howard does best, Bette Davis's face actually doesn't frighten me for once (no offense Bette Davis fans, she's a great actress, but I first saw her in "The Nanny" and that is how I will always remember her). <br /><br />The plot is a little outlandish, but if you don't take it literally (good-for-nothing artist meets waitress and a couple of hours later asks to be shot so that she can take a trip to France) but more figuratively (disillusioned man is willing to sacrifice everything so that someone he loves can fulfill her dreams) it is more poignant. At the literal level the film is entertaining in an almost comedic way (you really don't know what they are going to come out with next) and on a more theoretical level it is a serious drama.