Lucky Star (1929)

Returning home from WWI with the loss of his legs, a veteran (Charles Farrell) befriends a rural farm girl (Janet Gaynor) with a penchant for dishonesty. Slowly, without realizing it, they find themselves falling in love. But there are two impediments. The girl's mother (Hedwiga Reicher) who doesn't want her daughter to marry a "cripple" and a deceitful womanizer (Guinn Williams, whose acting is unsubtle to put it mildly) who has plans of his own for the girl. The third collaboration of director Frank Borzage and actors Gaynor and Farrell starts off charmingly before it descends into hokey sentimentality in its final act. It's a pity because, not surprisingly, Gaynor and Farrell have a lovely chemistry and one roots for the two of them during the initial stage of the tender romance and they have some lovely moments like when he's washing her hair. But the film doesn't need the overly melodramatic sentimentalism we're spoon fed. Still, it's almost 2/3 of a good movie. With Paul Fix.