Don't Weaken! (1920) User Reviews

Ahead on Points

[boblipton · 7/10 · 17 July 2010]

This is a very good Sennett comedy from when he was being distributed by Paramount -- not that there's much evidence, since Paramount never did much to preserve their own features, let alone the shorts that they 'merely' distributed.

Regardless, this is a very good one with two of Sennett's old pros Charlie Murray and Ford Sterling facing each other in a boxing match for the usual nonsensical reasons. Murray is recently rich because of inventing a new sort of fire extinguisher, and Sterling plays a dancing master -- and has the moves to match.

Earlier we get to see them doing some of their standard bits as Murray holds onto his lower-class habits, despite his social-climbing wife and Sterling is obnoxious to his pupils. The two of them really knew how to do these bits and journeyman director Mal St. Clair gives them their heads.

Fair to middling...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 September 2012]

A respected dance teacher (Ford Sterling) and his assistant (James Finlayson) come to town. Finlayson doesn't particularly like his boss and decides to impersonate a rich member of the nobility in order to infiltrate a society party. So far, the plot is just fine. However, in a bizarre twist, they later have a boxing match for the amusement of everyone and Finlayson arranges for a lady's father to box his boss. Finlayson also hopes to win the woman for himself. Unfortunately for him, this plan falls apart at the end and he's carted off to the pokey.

The plot for this film is bizarre--there's no other way to say it. And, while the film has some cute moments (such as the window gag), it's clearly not a particularly distinguished film. Not bad but not particularly good either.

Fair Sennett Short

[Michael_Elliott · 21 September 2012]

Don't Weaken (1920)

** (out of 4)

Mack Sennett two-reeler has a father (Charles Murray) getting into the boxing ring with a professional dancer (Ford Sterling) who claims to be a master boxer as well. The dancer is the type always talking about great they are so daddy wants to put an end to that. DON'T WEAKEN might appeal to die-hard Sennett fans but I found it to be extremely slow during the first half and even when the fighting scenes do take place, none of them are memorable enough to recommend this to people. The first half of the film has a lot on nonsense about various social attitudes but none of it is funny. You'd think that having so many great cast members hoping into the ring would bring more laughs but even these here fall short in the comedy department. Both Murray and Sterling are extremely good in their roles but one wishes they were given more to do. James Finlayson is actually the best thing going here as he plays the dancer's assistant.