I am not sure who thought of the plot to "Such Is Life", but to me it seems like it was a bad idea. However, the star, Baby Peggy, was very popular, so I assumed even a dumb plot like this one still sold a lot of tickets!
The film begins with Baby Peggy living on the streets and trying to sell things to survive--much like Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Match Girl". You can tell she is poor because she's wearing rags, BUT she also is a bit pudgy and her hair VERY well coiffed! To me, this made the film ridiculous--and perhaps a bit offensive. Later, after being ignored by everyone, she sneaks into a party and treats herself to the food. What's next? See this one...or not.
To me, this film was a great example of a star becoming so popular that they could put them in anything and it simply didn't matter--people flocked to see it anyways. It just seemed like a 3rd-rate script and perhaps it might have worked better with Jackie Coogan (who was much better playing such roles). For me, this just didn't work and I think the studio dropped the ball on this one.
By the way, pay attention to the scene involving the walnut and the Black butler. It's pretty sad to see a man being treated that much like an object--a sad sort of thing that people thought was funny back in the day.
