I'd only seen bits of The Milky Way and The Sin of Harold Diddlebock prior to this, and those don't really count, so it's safe to say that this is the first all-caps HAROLD LLOYD movie I've ever seen. I thought it was interesting how the whole movie felt like it could have been conceived by a slapstick loving version of Joseph Campbell with a daddy complex. It's such a naive and fun take on the hero's journey. I guess today's lovable goof would need to have some vaguely creepy or sexual element a la The 40 Year Old Virgin or something. I say this because I just don't see audiences these days going in for something as innocent and big-hearted as the conceit of trying endlessly to please one's father. It's a weird thing to be sure, especially when tied intrinsically to a romance angle wherein he can only become a man by winning the admiration of a (very gorgeous) lass at the same time as his dad, but that's what kept me invested, I guess. It's almost too personal to just be comedic. It's also got a surprising number of good looking shots. I don't know why gags like tears turning into rain or a pig wearing a bowler hat on its back are so freaking funny and bizarre, either. I also don't know if it is just a century's remove that made the last third a bit tedious, but it didn't ruin the overall film for me and I quite liked getting to see the twerp becoming a dude!
Review of The Kid Brother
