Animal Crackers (1930)

So much average

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The Marx Brothers were responsible for crafting some of the greatest and funniest comedies of the 20th century, and "Animal Crackers" ranks high among the list of their finest work. "animal Crackers" embodies the absurd and occasionally nonsensical wit of the Marx Brothers' routine with near flawlessness.This is a masterpiece of the weird and wacky, an anarchic comedy spectacle in which rules are practically non existent; anything can happen in the maniacal comic landscape that the Marx Brothers inhabit. The fourth wall is constantly being broken, puns are being made left and right, insults and one liners are shot from Groucho's mouth at the speed of a bullet, Harpo's physical routines borderline complete madness, and it all culminates together to create one of the greatest and funniest movies of the 1930's. As always, Groucho's fearlessly witty sense of humor is the comedic highlight, while Harpo further proves that physical comedy CAN be done well, and Chico balances both physical and verbal humor in his own charming way (and Zeppo works well as a straight man that his manic brothers can play off of). Chico and Harpo also show off their mind boggling musical talent on the piano and harp. Although these performances do not match those in the cinematic masterwork "A Night at the Opera", they are still extraordinary and make me wish with all of my heart that I had a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of their relentless musical talent.The "plot" surrounding the Marx Brothers' often surreal chaos is hardly even utilized, and when it is the film remains quite entertaining. As always, the mere fragments of a storyline only work as set ups to more comic insanity, and there is nothing wrong with that!

Two sets of guests coincidentally conspire to steal the same painting at the same time at the mansion where they are staying in this chaotic early Marx Brothers comedy. Among the other guests are Groucho, Chicho, Harpo and Zeppo, all playing characters with their trademark personae. Groucho is in especially good form, delivering witty lines left, right and centre and of course charming the socks off Margaret Dumont with indirect insults. Dumont is very effective here too; same goes for most of the other supporting players whose reactions to the Marxes' shenanigans are often funnier than the gags themselves - and yet, this is a far cry from 'Duck Soup', which many would agree is their signature piece. The lack of a solid plot is a big issue; the mixed up paintings could have been very funny but they are kept in the backdrop with the film instead ensuring the Marxes have ample opportunity to strut their stuff. Several shenanigans also last too long (a card game and Harpo playing the harp are at least two events that go on for minutes on end for no particular reason); cutting back some of the songs would not hurt either. And yet, while plodding at its weakest, 'Animal Crackers' is still laugh-out-loud funny at its best with a hilarious discussion of seven cent nickels, one of the wackiest dictation scenes ever put to film and Groucho constantly getting his character's name confused with others. The film boasts some remarkably lavish sets too and is a real wonder to look at for a film that rarely ventures outside of its prime setting.

Although I am slightly conflicted between this or a Night At the Opera this one wins every time. Its not restricted by plot or musical numbers or even having a conclusion. No instead the Marx brothers are exactly where they don't belong, high society, which is why it's the best place for them to be funny. The film beginnings with what later became Groucho Marx's anthem (Hooray for Captain Spaulding) and the Craziness goes from there. Whether it's Groucho insulting everyone in sight or whether its Harpo chasing every woman in close perimeter. No lovers leading the story, just the Marx Brothers doing what they do best, upsetting the high society establishment. The musical is even funny and is only contained to Chico playing two songs. The best scene I think that can sum up not only this movie but the great mix of wit and physical comedy can be found in the card playing scene with Margaret Dumont, Chico, and Harpo. At first, the scene is entirely physical comedy almost mimicking that of three stooges, but when they sit down to play cards the quick wit of the Marx Brothers is quickly shown and if you're not paying attention you will have to watch the scene several times to understand everything that's going on.

More than 30 years ago when I was a kid, I remember watching this movie on CBS on a Saturday but the only parts I remembered were the "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" number, a duet between the romantic leads, Harpo's harp solo, and the ending. So now I've watched the entire thing on DVD and let me tell you, it's a lot better than The Four Marx Brothers' previous movie, The Cocoanuts. For one thing, not only do we get another confused wordplay between Chico and Groucho but also that between Chico and Harpo when the latter pulls something different when the former asks for a "flash"! Besides Chico, Harpo also plays a little on the piano this time to another comic sequence they do with Groucho. Oh, and while Zeppo didn't do much in the last one, here he does some funny bits with Groucho concerning some dictation of a letter. And Margaret Dumont more than earns her "fifth Marx Brother" reputation with her own lines and actions with the brothers not to mention her laughs during many of them. I also liked seeing Lilian Roth, so soon after just watching her in The Love Parade, as one part of that romantic duo I referenced at the beginning of this review and though she's more subdued here than in TLP, she's still enjoyable (not to mention stunning to watch) here. If there's one disappointment in watching this again, it's that the line from Groucho's in that "Captain Spaulding" number-"I think I'll go and make her"-is still missing. Still, this was a most enjoyable Marx Brothers movie and that's good enough for me! P.S. When I read Steve Stoliar's book "Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House", the most fascinating find there was his contribution to getting this movie back in re-release in the 1970s after disappearing from circulation a couple of decades ago. So we have him to thank, along with survivor Groucho's help, for this being available again.