AllMovie

The films Ida Lupino directed are not great works of art, but they have a certain appeal and style to them; Hard, Fast and Beautiful is no exception. Definitely a B-movie, and hampered by its overly melodramatic screenplay, Hard still draws one in; one watches it realizing that it is only an average picture, but it exerts a small hold that is hard to shake. A great deal of credit goes to its cast, especially Claire Trevor's mesmerizing Milly. Prefiguring Mama Rose in Gypsy, Milly, in Trevor's highly skilled hands, is both repulsive and sympathetic; a creature that we scorn even as we recognize parts of ourselves in her. Carleton Young also impresses with Fletcher Locke, his sleazy tennis pro; as does Kenneth Patterson, who makes the viewer care about his character, Will, the dull but basically good man that is victimized by his wife's ambition and neglect. Sally Forrest as Florence Farley fares somewhat less well, but is still more than satisfactory. Lupino's direction is solid throughout, and much more so during the exciting tennis sections. The film's assets don't overcome its major script deficiencies, but they still make Hard, Fast and Beautiful much more memorable than it should be.