Directed by Buster Keaton

Position on the list (at time of viewing): 806

Buster Keaton is back again with another film on the list. The guy had a seriously ridiculous working schedule, resulting in one of the densest concentrations of film on the entire list. This time it’s an even zanier comedy than his last go-round. This is my wife’s favorite Keaton film, and I really think it’s great as well. The centerpiece of the film’s plot is absolutely one of Keaton’s best-staged large-scale gags ever, and the rest of the film supports it beautifully. Surprising no one at this point, this is going to be another rather glowing Keaton review.

In terms of plot, this is Keaton’s major “inheritance” movie, a trope that was very common at the time involving an inheritance for the main character tied to an absurd or difficult task that must be performed. Jimmy Shannon (Keaton) and his business partner Billy Meekin (T. Roy Barnes) are down to their last dime when a lawyer informs Jimmy that he’ll inherit a fortune so long as he’s married on his twenty-seventh birthday. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s that very day! What a surprise. And then Keaton is off to the races with a series of pratfalls and jokes so rapid-fire and hilarious that I rarely stopped laughing for the entire runtime. The comedy appears effortless, but in reality is carefully calculated for maximum effect. This may be one of the funniest Buster Keaton movies. I wouldn’t personally call it one of the best, because it doesn’t have quite as much on its mind as his more cerebral films (Sherlock, Jr., The Cameraman, The General), but it can hardly be beaten for laugh-out-loud jokes.

The plot hums along at a breakneck pace (the film lasts less than an hour) as Jimmy continually fails to get married despite the promise of millions, and in many cases because of the promise of millions. The film builds to a conclusion so bizarre that it has to be seen to be believed. Jimmy’s business partner, in desperation, eventually publishes his situation in the town paper, and although you can probably guess what that leads to, I guarantee you will be surprised by the scale and brilliance of its execution. I spent the last twenty or so minutes of this movie in stitches, barely able to catch my breath for laughing. It truly has to be seen to be believed, and if that’s not a recommendation I don’t know what is.

The problem from a critical perspective is there’s not much else that can be said about the movie without ruining all of the jokes. There’s a single joke that doesn’t land about an underage girl, but Keaton wasn’t historically a creep, and it goes by so quickly it’s hard to focus on it. There’s definitely some (very slight) commentary on the corrupting nature of money and the purity of true sentiment, but that’s not what you’re watching this one for. The pratfalls and crazy stunts are some of Keaton’s best in his entire filmography, and the chase scenes are completely without parallel. Keaton proves himself incredibly capable of framing and filming action in a way that will absolutely inform his later masterpiece The General. Other than that, this is just an excellent and well-executed comedy, absolutely worth the time to anyone who enjoys a good laugh or a classic film. Check it out.

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