This Buster Keaton comedy isn't really a 'funny' film. If you are thinking of funny, as in "hahahahahahahahaha, I cannot stop laughing" funny, then you're out of luck. The repetitive slapstick in this 21-minute long feature is mostly just silly, acrobatic fun--not something that you'd chuckle at. I certainly didn't. But any fan of silent slapstick will find it worthwhile.
The movie starts out with Keaton arriving at the bank for his workday. However, since he's Keaton, everything goes wrong. He gets his hands in glue and messes up all the dollar bills, creating any number of mishaps with his mistake. Meanwhile, the bank president and his counterfeiters are filling the bank with counterfeit money, and using an abandoned house as a hideout. All these events and people come together eventually--resulting in a series of mishaps inside the house.
I haven't seen many Buster Keaton films, but I've figured out his slapstick is normally very repetitive. That's the case here. Pretty much once we get to the house, Keaton has a bunch of encounters with 'ghosts' and 'skeletons' and stuff. All he does is run around the house for like, the rest of the movie. The thing is thoroughly entertaining but isn't funny--that's why if you're looking for a nice juicy comedy, look somewhere else. And if you're not, this one remains an entertaining and fun film, even if it lacks laugh-out-loud humor. Yeah, call me an idiot for saying Keaton isn't funny--but this kind of slapstick, while entertaining certainly, doesn't get me laughing. Oh well, it's still lots of fun anyway.
The movie starts out with Keaton arriving at the bank for his workday. However, since he's Keaton, everything goes wrong. He gets his hands in glue and messes up all the dollar bills, creating any number of mishaps with his mistake. Meanwhile, the bank president and his counterfeiters are filling the bank with counterfeit money, and using an abandoned house as a hideout. All these events and people come together eventually--resulting in a series of mishaps inside the house.
I haven't seen many Buster Keaton films, but I've figured out his slapstick is normally very repetitive. That's the case here. Pretty much once we get to the house, Keaton has a bunch of encounters with 'ghosts' and 'skeletons' and stuff. All he does is run around the house for like, the rest of the movie. The thing is thoroughly entertaining but isn't funny--that's why if you're looking for a nice juicy comedy, look somewhere else. And if you're not, this one remains an entertaining and fun film, even if it lacks laugh-out-loud humor. Yeah, call me an idiot for saying Keaton isn't funny--but this kind of slapstick, while entertaining certainly, doesn't get me laughing. Oh well, it's still lots of fun anyway.