Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:

I had an okay time with this rather flimsy and almost Capraesque Lee Tracy film about an Average Joe who gets to relive the recent past. Because he knows what’ll happen, he makes himself into a financial success even as, Cassandra-like, he’s disregarded by his peers when he predicts the future. There’s a near-great moment when Tracy gives a speech to troops preparing to be shipped off to the First World War. Instead of invoking Honor and Country, he dwells on the trenches, the mud, and the industrial-scale death — all the bad things that, unbeknownst to these kids, lie in wait. Unfortunately, screenwriters Edgar Selwyn and Ben Hecht pull their punch; the bit teeters and falls over before it can have much of an impact. Tracy, whose gin-puffed face and spindly huckster’s brio evoke both Dickens and Twain, is more fun to watch than just about any actor I can think of. His hands, always moving, seem keyed to some unheard melody — it’s like he’s conducting his own performance. I shit you not, the Three Stooges turn up in totally straight roles as a group of harmonizing singers. The movie’s available on Warner Instant.

Related

• A nice intro to Tracy. If you’re interested in his work, I recommend starting with “Blessed Event,” “Bombshell,” and “The Half-Naked Truth.”