We'd seen the "Who's on First Routine" and found it hilarious. Why not try a whole movie with the comedy talents of Abbott and Costello.
Specs:
1 hour, 15 min; black and white. We watched this one on Netflix
Our family's average rating:
7.5
More about the film and our reaction to it:
The comedy of Abbott and Costello is extremely well-suited to modern, smart-alecky kids. My boys loved this. The humor is found both in fast-talking, smart dialog and also physical and visual pratfalls and hijinks. As such, it hits on all cylinders for kids. One of the funnier bits involves Abbott's character repeatedly putting on and taking off his pants. Another funny moment comes as Costello pulls a gag on a gangster thug by betting him that he, Costello, "isn't here" -- and actually managing to win the bet. You gotta see that.
The movie is simple of plot, but really delightful in that simplicity. It doesn't try to hard to be something it isn't -- it just showcases how funny these guy's are.
Considering some of the big-budget spectacles we've seen lately, this one just seemed basic and true and reminded me of the silent-era comedies we love, where the ability of a film to win you over was basically a function of the pure comic talent and not of film-making spectacle. It felt really good to watch a movie like this in 1948.
Iconic shot:
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