Overview
A young woman's desperate attempt to return home leads to unexpected romance and comedic chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- buoyant
- playful
- classic movie night
- date night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a brisk, sparkling romantic farce powered by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's witty script and the spirited performances of Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Susan Applegate pretends to be a twelve-year-old girl in order to afford train travel and navigate adult society.
Susan's invented child persona complicates her relationship with Major Kirby and his engagement.
The plot turns Susan's deceptive transformation into a series of lively farcical situations involving the train and military academy.
Major Kirby's military school provides the structured environment in which Susan's disguise creates escalating complications.
Films like The Major and the Minor, and why
The Lady Eve
shared screwball romantic comedy, mistaken identity, fast dialogue, and gender performance
My Man Godfrey
shared romantic farce, deception, social role-play, and buoyant comic tone
It Happened One Night
shared classic Hollywood romance, comic misunderstandings, and spirited female protagonist
Some Like It Hot
shared gender disguise, mistaken identity, and rapid-fire romantic comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Release Date
- 1942-09-16
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (154)
Cast
- Ginger Rogers
- Ray Milland
- Rita Johnson
- Robert Benchley
- Diana Lynn
- Edward Fielding
- Frankie Thomas
- Raymond Roe
- Charles Smith
- Larry Nunn
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Major and the Minor about?
- A cash-strapped New York woman disguises herself as a child to reach Iowa, only to become entangled with a kindly army major and his complicated romantic life.
- What is The Major and the Minor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Major and the Minor as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Major and the Minor violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Major and the Minor.
- What did critics think of The Major and the Minor?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a brisk, sparkling romantic farce powered by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's witty script and the spirited performances of Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland.
- Which films are like The Major and the Minor?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lady Eve, My Man Godfrey, It Happened One Night, and Some Like It Hot.
- How long is The Major and the Minor?
- The Major and the Minor runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Major and the Minor?
- In United States, The Major and the Minor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
