Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for It's a Gift

It's a Gift

Seen it?

1934 | 68 min | Comedy

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and a lukewarm 6.4 out of 10 from audiences. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who wants a laugh. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Light and funny.
The pace
Breezy, at 1 hr 8 min.
What might put you off
  • Made in 1934: an older pace and style.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

After he inherits some money, Harold Bissonette ("pronounced bis-on-ay") decides to give up the grocery business, move to California and run an orange grove. Despite his family's objections and the news that the land he bought is worthless, Bissonette packs up and drives out to California with his nagging wife Amelia and children.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    94% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesBelow par

    6.4 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 10K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

  • W.C. FieldsHarold Bissonette
  • Baby LeRoyBaby Dunk
  • Kathleen HowardAmelia Bissonette
  • Jean RouverolMildred Bissonette
  • Julian MadisonJohn Durston
  • Tommy BuppNorman Bissonette
  • Tammany YoungEverett Ricks
  • Morgan WallaceJames Fitchmueller
  • Charles SellonMr. Muckle
  • Josephine WhittellMrs. Dunk