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What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
A writer named Algernon (but called Harry by his friends) buys a picture of a boat on a lake, and his obsession with it renders normal life impossible. He attempts to function again by consulting an analyst and becoming married, but eventually succumbs to his strange anxiety by disappearing into the picture. (imdb)
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What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

1963
Comedy, Drama
Short Film
9m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 40.07% from 140 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(140)
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Rated 16 Aug 2020
77
71st
A young writer finds himself entranced by a simple, slightly dull painting. The trance leads to him being artistically stymied by the piece, until he finds distraction in romance. But the obsession can't be held at bay forever.... We never know why the painting of a man, on a boat, in some water consumes him, but consume him it does.Sounds pretentious but the short is full of humor, energy and whimsical editing. Scorsese takes a simple idea and throws heart, passion, and devilish comedy at it.
Rated 05 Mar 2024
50
46th
Quirky, early Scorcese effort, already exhibiting loads of personality.
Rated 15 Jun 2008
80
62nd
A lot of Nouvelle Vague here.
Rated 01 Oct 2008
2
15th
An odd but entertaining short from Scorsese. It does feel like there's a touch of New Wave influence but it's also got a rather Scorsesian sense of humor as well. I love when the main character narrates something and it cuts to his friend pretty much repeating it word for word. "My friends say I'm too uptight." "Harry, you're too uptight."
Rated 22 Oct 2008
6
55th
Awesome.
Rated 26 Feb 2009
65
52nd
Interesting, experimental but good.
Rated 22 Apr 2009
69
23rd
Harry's an unlikeable boob whose annoying personality and manner of speaking counteract the creativity of the filmmaking.
Rated 25 Oct 2009
75
37th
Um dos primeiros trabalhos de Scorsese, curta bem interessante com um pé no surrealismo...
Rated 26 Jan 2013
75
45th
Feels a bit like something Robert Downey Sr. would do. For a student film it's fairly watchable and amusing. Nice to see Scorsese's roots.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
63
34th
Not exactly sure Marty pulled this one off.
Rated 27 Jan 2014
3
30th
amusing.
Rated 15 May 2015
30
5th
What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? is a Martin Scorsese student film where the man takes advantage of a funny narration to provide sarcastic visual gags that play on words to allow a show off of editing effects. It's all very clever and a stand out of all the old student films I've watched, but it's still not something worth recommending.
Rated 27 Jul 2021
68
37th
A lot of interesting lighting, some unique camera angles, and a handful of decent editing tricks make it worth watching for Scorsese fans. Woody Allen vibes with some of the dialogue.
Rated 02 Jan 2022
41
9th
harry stinks
Rated 18 Apr 2023
3
45th
It's easy to see how film brat Scorsese would be influenced by the new waves of experimental cinema flooding out of Europe, and indeed that may be true, but what is more interesting to note is how this forecasts the "cut it like a trailer" montage style he would become so adept at from Goodfellas onward. A first film featuring this proficiency of wit and timing could only come from someone already so well-versed.

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