Harold Lloyd stars as the youngest, scrawniest son of a burly sheriff. He gets himself into a predicament when he falls in love with a pretty dancer (Jobyna Ralston) from a medicine show, who mistakes him for his father. When dear old dad is accused of theft, it’s then up to Harold to clear his name and bring the real crooks to justice.
The Kid Brother typifies what made Harold Lloyd so beloved. The big physical comedy routines contain a lot of laughs, but it’s the little character moments that really make the audience root for him. It’s amazing how with the minimum of effort, he creates a likeable underdog character that you can automatically love.
There are some great set pieces, like when Lloyd tries to fetch his father’s best shirt from the clothesline. Heck, even some of the throwaway bits (like his ingenious method of doing the dishes) are a marvel of comedic mastery. Of course, his physicality is second to none, which is wonderfully portrayed during the awesome moment where Lloyd scales (and subsequently fall from) a large tree just to get a glimpse of Ralston as she’s walking away.
While The Kid Brother has some fun stretches, not all the sequences yield big laughs. The scene where Lloyd’s brothers try to keep out of sight from Ralston while she’s staying in their home goes on a bit too long and is a little repetitive. There are also some unfunny shenanigans involving a comic relief monkey that could’ve easily been scrapped.
These ho-hum bits don’t really detract from the overall sense of fun. Besides, the great character work that Lloyd does throughout the film more than make up for its assorted shortcomings. The ending where Harold mans up and does the right thing against nearly impossible odds is quite rousing and will have you grinning from ear to ear. Also, the chemistry between Lloyd and Ralston (who was also his leading lady in Girl Shy) is winning, and their final moments together ends the film on a pitch perfect note.
No comments:
Post a Comment