The four Marx Brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo) along with Margaret Dumont and Louis Calhern star in this 1933 screwball, satirical comedy. Groucho is Rufus T. Firefly, the new president of Freedonia who is being spied on (Chico, Harpo) by the neighboring Sylvania, with the two countries eventually going to war.
I am beginning to realize that I am perhaps not enough of a movie snob for this list. The things I read to write today's review all pick either this movie or A Night at the Opera as the Marx brother's best film, depending on your sympathies. This was the Marx brother's last Paramount picture before moving to MGM and toning the satire and anarchy down a little in favor of more coherent plotlines and more sympathetic characters.
Satire and anarchy pretty much describe Duck Soup to a T. The "plot" is not so much a plot as a vehicle for Groucho's one-liners and the crazy physical comedy routines. But you have to have an appreciation of the dry, dry wit and the somewhat sadistic slapstick to enjoy this. I was chuckling pretty much throughout, especially at the more bizarre, non-sequitur stuff and the punnier of Groucho's lines. But Samantha barely cracked a smile, and there were several times when, at the end of a routine, we just kind of looked at each other like, 'Well, that was something, wasn't it?"
The jokes and humor are lightning fast and never stop, so if you miss something there's no time to turn to your viewing partner and ask, "Did you catch that?" without risking missing the next three jokes. Mix in the somewhat difficult to understand accents of Groucho and Chico and you have a recipe for disaster if you're not already on board.
I enjoyed the movie overall and there were several parts that were really, really funny, but I was taken aback by the lack of structure, breakneck pacing and the no-holds-barred satirical viewpoint. All of which leads me to believe that I would enjoy A Night at the Opera more. Which probably means I'm not enough of a movie snob.
(See this post if you're confused why I'm reviewing movies.)