So much average

Simply Perfect

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The country of Freedonia is in the middle of a financial crisis and on the brink of revolution. In order to gain a bail-out from the wealthy Mrs Teasdale, the government appoints Rufus T Firefly (Groucho Marx) as its president. However, Mr Firefly shuns the pomp and pretentiousness of government...and the prudence and rationality of it too. Meanwhile, the neighbouring country of Sylvania is plotting to overthrow Freedonia and sends Pinky (Harpo Marx) and Chicolini (Chico Marx) to spy on Firefly. War seems inevitable.Starring the Marx Brothers and viewed as a comedy classic, I was expecting great things from Duck Soup. However, while it has its moments, it was largely a disappointment for me.Having seen several of their previous movies, I knew what to expect. However, even then, this movie seemed quite silly. The others revolved around Groucho's quickfire wit and Chico and Harpo's slapstick comedy and Duck Soup is no exception. However, here it seems less clever than the best of the others, especially A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races. Here, Groucho's witticisms wander into the territory of dad jokes and Harpo and Chico's clowning is often quite silly. The plot is okay, though not brilliant. Hardly the powerful anti- war and political satire movie it is made out to be.This all said, there are some great laugh-out-loud moments and these are enough to sustain the movie.

This is notable in being the last Marx Brothers movie to feature Zeppo. It's actually kind of sad as I didn't even recognize him until near the end. Is this the best Marx brothers movie? I rank it second only to "A Night At The Opera", like everyone else would. There's a few weaker moments which don't make it quite as good as that movie, but it's still awesome. It's actually weird seeing as how I don't really consider the famous mirror scene to be one of the film's best gags. I remember Mike Nelson saying that if he could riff with one deceased person, it would be Groucho Marx and I can see why.Nearly all of Groucho's jokes sound like riffs. Right when he makes his first appearance, he can't stop making jokes. I even love the very first scene which features ducks in an actual soup. I guess it gives some context to the movie's name. I thought it was completely random, but this actually was a phrase used back in those days. Groucho steals the show, but Chico and Harpo are hilarious as well. I could simply go on all day talking about the hilarious jokes made in this movie. In fact, I think I'll just spend the rest of my review doing just that.When someone says, "I'll teach you to kick me!", Chico responds with, "You don't need to teach me! I know how!". Maybe the first great joke was the woman saying, "I was with my husband until the very end" which Groucho responds with, "I can see why he passed away". Later, she says, "I want you to meet a very charming lady". Groucho says, "It's about time". One particularly long one was, "...may look like an idiot and sound like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot". Oh, and I was afraid they wouldn't show the actual war scene, but luckily they did! That's what a perfect movie does! ****

DUCK SOUP is a riotously funny, anarchic comedy from the Marx Brothers which is a send-up of government and international politics. At 68 minutes, it could hardly be considered long, but if it was much longer I felt it would have worn out its welcome. The Marx Brothers' trademark humor has aged well, but I felt that some of the wordplay was hit or miss. This might be due to the rapidity with which Groucho spits out the lines, because not all of them were funny to me and quite possibly because some of them went over my head. What I felt was the best part of the movie were the physical comedy routines. As such, my favorite parts were a running gag in which Harpo torments a lemonade salesman, a scene involving a mirror and the final act where Groucho changes costumes in every scene. Since the movie is one of the earlier "talkies", the acting is somewhat stiff/stilted (in a cinematic context, but perfectly normal in a theatrical context). Margaret Dumont's Mrs. Teasdale is probably the best example of this, although her character was supposed to be that way. Overall, I thought the movie was very well done, but I got the feeling that the Marx Brothers have done better. This type of comedy mostly works for me, and I look forward to delving further into the Marx Brothers' filmography.

One of the finest comedies and indeed the wittiest of many.Witty lines and scenes make this film a fantastic one to watch. It's a laugh riot and does full throttle. It's uncompromising in vision which is a rarity considering 1933 where studios determined what has to be shown. Marx brothers who are considered as comedy giants in their times, gave wonderful performances in this film. From a retort to "Tanks" (which is thought as "Thanks") with a "Welcome" to many many moments where it's tough to hold back our laughs, this film is spanned with nothing but wit and comedy. I dare say, it is one of the funniest films I watched in a long time. It's hilarious and comical, it's also strongly satirical and political too. It takes on war, politics behind war and what kings or rulers do. The best part is it never takes itself seriously even for iota of a moment and gives out gags where each one is wonderfully joyful. Groucho Marx as Firefly, gives a wonderful performance probably the finest of his life from the word go. He dances, sings, and utters some of the wittiest lines uttered ever on film screen. His act as a Mussolini like is wonderful and more so as excellency of Fredonia. From his entry till the last frame, he makes this film his own. He is ably supported by his own brothers Harpo, Chico and Zeppo who give wonderful scenes too. My only crib is that it is too short. At 68 minutes, this film gives out so many wonderful moments that it leaves us yearning for more. Should this have been edited, I would be very disappointed, coz every frame is precious in this film and has to be embraced. This film is now 80 years old and it is still so young and infectious in wit and the sheer energy on screen. I wish again, to see more than 68 minutes of this. One of the greatest comedies ever, a 5/5 for this. Wit, humor and outstandingly performed this a must watch for every film lover.