My husband just surprised me for my birthday with 'My Best Girl'. I have been building my silent movie collection for almost 2 years, and not one actress has ever moved me so much as Mary Pickford!

I adore her in every film I've seen thus far, and all the others are DEFINITELY worth buying--bad prints or no, but this...this film is now my favorite Pickford film and in my Top 10 for all silents.

I am not a sappy girl, nor do I fall for romance-type films, but 'My Best Girl' is SO winsome, and SO charming! Please go off and read at least one Pickford biography and then rewatch 'My Best Girl'. I was so skeptical, b/c I'm not a big girly movie fan, but this is one you HAVE to own if you love Pickford! Her leading man in the film is Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, the man she married 10 years after this film was made. At the time, her idyllic marriage to Douglas Fairbanks was just beginning to falter. They divorced in 1935, and two years later, she became Mrs. Buddy Rogers. Buddy is so smitten (in a tastefully restrained way) in every scene, in real life, and it's so lovely to watch him falling nutty-head-over-heels for Mary. It's anyone's guess if Mary felt the same--a tribute to her gifts as an actress--but it was pure bliss trying to guess if she had been!

Funny, smart and BEAUTIFULLY shot (if you've seen a lot of silents, you can tell that this one was made toward the end of the era. You're in for SUCH a treat--the shots are nothing like any in other silents of the same age.) I laughed out loud, and shed big ol' 'I'm not a girly movie fan' tears!

Treat yourself, and buy the Milestone copy. An excellent, clean print, with wonderful sharpness and great picture quality. The few and far between muddy spots go away SO quickly. And the score is so thoughtful, and complements the action and the period impeccably. Buy it up, and send a message to the Pickford Foundation that we want more of these DVDs QUICK!

There are a few home movies & newsreel clips from the Pickford Foundation collection included on the MILESTONE DVD, and watching them just tickled me to no end. All of them were private reels of Mary and Buddy at their wedding, their honeymoon, and later. Again, being not a terribly romantic girl, I sure surprised the heck outta myself by sobbing out loud after reading that "Buddy was always fond of saying that he'd married his 'best girl.'"

A sap I was not, until now!

5/5 Pickford's best film
  by Paul
There are those films that I would recommend to people who like that genre (EG "for those who like silent films, they would like this one"), but on a rare occasion I will recommend one to anyone.

Mary Pickford plays the archetype of her former Little Mary roles. She is Maggie, a stock girl at a fictional five-and-dime store... if you read Amazon's review you know the basic plot, which probably isn't the most original. Here's why you should see it:

Unlike too many of her vehicular films, Mary Pickford isn't the only reason to see "My Best Girl." About every character is a delight to see, and Maggie's parents deliver some of the best laughs, although Pickford holds her own at some very funny moments. Try not to smile at the scene when she first appears. The goofy melodrama with Liz and her beaux could make another feature comedy by itself, but here it adds to the richness of the film. The blase look on Millicent's face when Joe runs off to find Maggie is priceless. For that matter, so is the subtle look on Maggie's face after she tells Joe about the "Dramatic club" her sister belongs to. The soundtrack undermines some of the comedy at times, but that's no reason to turn the volume off. You'll find yourself humming the catchy jazz theme that plays when Nick Powell is present.

So, "for those who like silent films," this is one of the most harmlessly enjoyable, and for those who don't -- well, this is one you should see. It might change your mind.


5/5 Charming and delightful!
  by Sherm Cohen (Los Angeles, CA)
This movie will charm your socks off, and keep you smiling and entertained throughout. No deep film criticism here...this is simply as good and as fun as movies get. If you liked City Lights, you love this one!

5/5 Sweet and Important
  by Samantha Kelley (USA)
This is the story of a girl destined to become an old maid; she feels she has to take care of her crazy family. She is sweet and sane. She works at a five and dime store where she meets a man named Joe. Joe is rich but was forced by his father to prove himself outside of his wealth. Joe must work in a regular job and receive a raise. In the process, he meets Mary Pickford's character and falls in love.

This movie is interesting to watch because ten years after it was made, Buddy Rogers and Mary Pickford were married. Their chemistry is obvious. It is also a wonder that Mary was around the top of the hill when she made this and yet she still looked so young and beautiful. Emotions soar out of this film that are felt in movies of today. One never notices that it is silent; it simply isn't an issue.

One of my favorite scenes is when Mary deliberately pushes her belongings off of the car she is riding on so that she can see Buddy for just a little longer.

This silent was made when sound took the world by storm. Sadly, it was Mary Pickford's last. Because of the time period it was made in, it is more advanced than a film from the 1910s. The score is very good and the story holds up.

5/5 Well crafted, fun comedy, great print
  by Jmark2001 (Florida)
This is a dazzlingly clear print of a very good Pickford light romantic comedy. Keep your eyes open for the one stunningly sophisticated directorial triumph: Pickford and Rogers walking through a busy street on a rainy night, oblivious to the cars and bicycles whirring past, around, and even between them. It is a long, moving camera shot that perfectly expresses their delightful absorption in each other. I have never seen this scene mentioned in any historical film book but it well deserves to be there. Bravo!