I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Dreadful picture. One of the worst pictures I have seen from 1929. The main characters awaken absolutely no sympathy from the viewer. Watching the 30 year old Colleen Moore trying to act like a dumb teenager is absolutely ridiculous. Furthermore, the thought of someone like Neil Hamilton (or any sane person for that matter) falling in love with such a silly ridiculous person (dressed in some of the most ridiculous fashions I have seen) is beyond belief. Almost every other women in the picture, including the extras, are much more attractive that she is. I am also shocked on how bad the Synchronized Score is, especially as this is a First National picture, as all other example of Synchronized musical scoring I have heard from 1928-1929 for First National pictures are quite elegant and tasteful. The music in the dancing sequences is crass and annoying and I find it hard to believe that the extras were dancing to anything even remotely sounding like that.If you look at film trade reviews from the period, the film did very poorly upon release. I'm surprised that First National produced two expensive all talking musicals ("Smiling Irish Eyes" and "Footlights and Fools" with Technicolor sequences) in 1929 after this disaster.. again starring Colleen Moore... which are lost but frankly after seeing this film it is no great loss if her acting in those pictures was even remotely similar to that she gives in the disaster known as "Why Be Good"

For some reason, most of the Morrisons had to change their names -- or thought they had to change their names -- to become famous.Kathleen Morrison got into pictures somewhat accidentally, as someone was doing a favor for one of her important relatives. And it was figured that, in six months or so, she'd be tired of movies and go back home.Ha.In fact, as Colleen Moore, she became one of the most popular stars of filmdom, and when you see her in "Why Be Good?" you will immediately understand why.Naturally I might seem prejudiced toward my cousin, but even before I learned she had been born a Morrison, I loved and admired her. In the late lamented Silent Movie Theatre, the great John Hampton presented her "Orchids and Ermine" about every year.She just stole my heart, even with a very, VERY young Mickey Rooney trying to steal the movie. (In a wonderfully whimsical touch, the then-7-year-old was still "Mickey McGuire" and his character was a Texas midget. And even at 7, he was fully capable of stealing a scene or a whole movie.)In "Why Be Good?" she plays a character with the appropriate name of "Pert Kelly" (making me think of the long-time actress Pert Kelton). Pert and perky she was, just totally adorable.And beautiful.Colleen Moore could express any emotion, and was an actress dedicated to being a good actress, not just a star.Her autobiography, "Silent Star," is a very good read, and her fame continues, with a website dedicated to her: https://sites.google.com/site/colleenmooresite/"Why Be Good?" was presented by Turner Classic Movies on 5 December 2016 as part of a tribute to Vitaphone on its 90th birthday. "Good" was originally produced with synchronized sound on a disc, and its restoration is a story in itself."Why Be Good?" is now available, according to the above website, as a DVD and I know I want a copy. It's a good movie, but it's a great performance by and a great chance to see Colleen Moore.There is a preview clip, and other videos, including supposed full movies of Colleen Moore at YouTube.

Why Be Good? was shown at the Silent Film Festival 2015 in San Francisco, in a 1920's movie house with a live orchestra. You can't get better than that! The line to get in went around the block, but it was sooo worth it: a rediscovered and just-restored silent film at a packed art-house theater which happened to be built a few years before this film's original theatrical release, with live musicians playing along so marvelously, it's hard to top it.We were given brochures and there was a pre-screening talk. It was there I learned that the film's star, Colleen Moore, died thinking all copies of the movie had been forever lost, including her reels which she'd given to a museum for preservation. But just like with Metropolis recently, someone at a cinematheque found a copy and after years of painstaking restoration work it was brought again to the world.I loved it. Colleen was so great portraying a flapper, and in a full house she and the other actors sure made us laugh a lot. I was very impressed with the Art Deco sets, the ingenious Boiler Room scene, and the moral of the story which I won't spoil. But yes there was a moral in the midst of all the dancing and comedy, and it was one that made all the women in the theater cheer!So big kudos to the restoration folks, and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra for the superb live accompaniment. It makes me wish every movie I attended had live musicians now.

No movie better illustrates the inherent contradiction of the Hollywood flapper than Why Be Good? (1929). Colleen Moore is a party girl who wears make-up, bobbed hair, and short skirts. She flirts with young men and has built quite the reputation for herself; however, she (and the film) makes it clear that she is a "good girl" despite everything. Sexual liberation hand in hand with conservative values so that the audience isn't too radicalized.This quality was my biggest issue with that second most famous of flapper pictures Our Dancing Daughters (1928) with Joan Crawford as the virginal flapper who is held up as an ideal modern girl in comparison with the Anita Page character, who sleeps around and is thus a horrible person who must be punished. Though that film claims to be modern, it upholds Victorian morality with relish. Yet in Why Be Good? the double standard is firmly attacked. While we are assured that Moore is a virgin with some conservative sexual values, the movie stands up against the double standard. When the male love interest is swayed by his sexist father into thinking Moore is trash because she flirts and parties, Moore shoots him down, claiming that if she stayed home and "darned socks" she would have hardly attracted his attention in the first place. In a society where a good girl is labeled a "prude" and a party girl a "tramp," a woman just can't win.Well not here. In the end, the flapper wins the boy and the day. The message is quite progressive for the time, far ahead of Our Dancing Daughters. It's also more fun, with Moore showing off her charm and comic talent to great effect. She also sports some great playful sex appeal here. The Vitaphone score paired with the film is excellent, giving you a great sense of the time period, all jazz and Charlestons.I've rambled on enough, so let me make it brief: watch this movie. Colleen Moore is funny and the message quite modern, one society still has not fully taken to heart, even in the 21st century.