Film

It's in the Bag!

A 1945 screwball comedy where a flea-circus ringmaster searches for a fortune hidden in one of five chairs, recruiting famous comedians along the way. It's gleefully silly, anarchic, and packed with the kind of rapid-fire gag comedy that feels genuinely chaotic—a time capsule of vaudeville energy captured on film, perfect for anyone who loves comedy that doesn't take itself seriously.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love star-stuffed 1940s screwball comedy, where a roster of radio-honed comics trade quick one-liners and the plot is an excuse for chaos.

Skip it if you want a tight, plotted mystery, since the hunt is a loose hook for sketches and detours that can feel scattered by the middle.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes of brisk, slapstick-leaning nonsense that rewards loose attention, with gags arriving faster than the plot can keep up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Singin' in the Rain1952

A masterclass in comedic energy and physical gags, built on a similarly flimsy plot that exists only as an excuse for brilliance. The joy is contagious and the craft is invisible.

But It's a musical. If dance numbers feel like a break in the story rather than part of it, this won't grab you.

Singin' in the Rain poster

The Philadelphia Story1940

Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katharine Hepburn in a comedy where the plot twists are as much fun as the banter. Wickedly smart and genuinely funny without ever winking at the camera.

But It moves at screwball speed; if you need a moment to catch your breath between jokes, you'll miss half of them.

The Philadelphia Story poster

His Girl Friday1940

Overlapping dialogue, racing plot, and Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in perfect sync. The energy is infectious and the script is tight as a drum—every line does multiple jobs.

But The rapid-fire talking-over-each-other style reads as chaotic to modern ears; some find it exhausting rather than exhilarating.

His Girl Friday poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from It's in the Bag!

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Band Wagon1953

Both use a flimsy framework as an excuse to assemble brilliant performers and let them be brilliant. The plot is scaffolding.

Like It's in the Bag!, this is a thin plot that's really a delivery system for comedy and spectacle: Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in a movie about putting on a show. Behind-the-scenes chaos, famous cameos, and the joy of watching professionals effortlessly entertain.

But It's a 1950s MGM musical with long production numbers; the style is plush and theatrical rather than scrappy or intimate.

The Band Wagon poster
More like this (8)

Arsenic and Old Lace1944

Gary Grant in controlled panic, a brilliantly weird premise, and the kind of theatrical chaos that translates perfectly to film. Funny, dark, and genuinely unpredictable.

But It's very much a stage play on film; if you want cinematic language and subtlety, this trades both for farce.

Arsenic and Old Lace poster

The Bank Dick1940

W.C. Fields at his anarchic best, where the plot is almost decorative and Fields just riffs on being aggressively, brilliantly himself. Pure character comedy from someone genuinely original.

But Fields' cantankerous routine can feel repetitive, and he's not interested in endearing himself to you—you have to enjoy his sourness.

The Bank Dick poster

It Happened One Night1934

The template for screwball comedy: Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable have genuine chemistry, the situations escalate beautifully, and there's real warmth underneath the chaos.

But It's foundational rather than wild; if you've seen its many imitators, the original feels a touch safer than you'd hoped.

It Happened One Night poster

Sullivan's Travels1941

Preston Sturges at his best: a comedy director questioning whether comedy matters, which is somehow hilarious and moving. Endlessly inventive and genuinely touching.

But The tonal shift from comedy to something darker and more serious is jarring; some find it clumsy rather than effective.

Sullivan's Travels poster

The Awful Truth1937

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in a divorce comedy that's equal parts screwball and romantic. The plot keeps escalating in ridiculous directions and it never loses momentum.

But It's sometimes cynical about marriage in ways that date it; the underlying philosophy won't appeal to everyone.

The Awful Truth poster

Twentieth Century1934

John Barrymore chewing scenery as a theatrical megalomaniac and Carole Lombard matching his energy. It's theatre people being absurd, which means it's absurd in really fun ways.

But Barrymore's hamming is deliberately over-the-top; if you want naturalism or subtlety, he'll seem ridiculous rather than charming.

Twentieth Century poster

The Ladykillers1955

Small group of con artists in increasingly ridiculous situations, each character a distinct comedic type. Both are about schemes that fall apart because people are absurd.

A Ealing Comedy where criminals pretending to be musicians rent a room from a little old lady. British, tightly plotted, and funny in a drier way than American screwball, but the energy is just as anarchic.

But British comedy sensibility is quite different; if you need broad American mugging and rapid-fire one-liners, this will feel restrained.

The Ladykillers poster

A Night at the Opera1935

Both assemble comedians (real and character ones) in a plot that's essentially an excuse for them to do their thing. Chaos as entertainment, structure as optional.

The Marx Brothers at peak form: total absurdity, rapid-fire jokes, physical comedy, and genuine anarchic energy. Groucho, Chico, and Harpo tear through a plot about sabotaging an opera with zero respect for logic or decorum.

But It's decades old and the comedy style is very specific; some of it plays as dated or the pacing as strange to modern viewers. Harpo's pantomime sections won't land for everyone.

A Night at the Opera poster

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