Such a predictable and creaky old film really shouldn't be as entertaining as this!
It's the lightest of light comedies and being made in 1931 with a low budget, it's far from visually stunning however it's actually quite fun.
Big Business Girl seems to be primarily an excuse to show how crazily pretty Loretta Young is and in that respect it's unquestionably successful. If a computer was programmed to create the sweetest, most beautiful girl possible, Loretta Young would probably be the result. She's only eighteen in this but the fact that she is lusted after by an older man, her boss, kind of legitimises us chaps being allowed to stare. She is definitely however not just a pretty face, certainly in this, she is an exceptional actress and manages not just to carry this unremarkable story single handedly but also makes it very watchable.
The first ten minutes are so awfully lame you will be tempted to switch it off but don't, stick with it - it does get better. Director William Sieter eventually picks up the pace and turns what starts out looking like it's going to be a bland melodrama into quite an engaging and lively comedy-drama.
The last ten minutes when Joan Blondell finally arrives is worth the wait. All of a sudden this film transforms itself again from that lightweight comedy-drama into something brilliantly funny; the scene with Joan on piano, fag in mouth, is hilarious - you will have a smile on your face as the credits roll.
