Big Hearted Review: A Dated Comedy That's... Something

So, Big Hearted. Is it worth a look today? Honestly, probably not for most people. If you're a serious film historian digging into silent-era shorts, maybe. But if you're hoping for a fun watch or a good laugh, you’ll probably be disappointed. It's a relic, pure and simple. 🤷‍♀️

The premise is straightforward, even simple: the Blues (Dorothy Gulliver, Ray Hughes) are just thrilled their old neighbors are gone. They dream of quiet, respectful new arrivals. Then the Blacks (Vivien Oakland, Jack 'Tiny' Lipson) move in. And boy, are they something else.

It’s clear this film wants to be a zany, slapstick comedy. The entire plot hinges on this idea of 'bad' neighbors making you miss the 'worse' ones. But the humor, well, it’s certainly from a different era. What was probably hysterical in 1928 feels… quaint now. Or maybe just a bit awkward. 🤔

Dorothy Gulliver as Mrs. Blue has some pretty great facial expressions. You can see her going from relief to utter disbelief to total despair, all without a single word. Her reactions are often the funniest part, even when the gags themselves don’t quite land. She’s definitely trying her best.

The new neighbors, the Blacks, arrive with a literal parade of kids and a dog that immediately starts tearing things up. One moment, a little boy is swinging on the front door, almost ripping it off its hinges. It’s supposed to be chaotic, but it felt a little staged, like the kids were told, 'just run around wildly!'

There's a scene where Mr. Blue (Ray Hughes) tries to reason with Mr. Black (Jack 'Tiny' Lipson), who’s busy chopping wood in his front yard, *very* loudly. Hughes does this thing with his eyebrows, a sort of 'can you believe this?' look. It’s subtle, but it stood out.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Big Hearted (1930) through its definitive frames.

The movie really leans into physical comedy. There's a lot of running around, falling, and people generally being clumsy. It reminded me a bit of those old vaudeville routines. You can almost see the stage directions playing out. It makes you kinda miss the days when people just, you know, talked instead of always bumping into things.

One odd detail: the kitchen scenes. There’s a lot of activity, but it’s always just slightly off-screen. You hear the crash, then see the aftermath. It’s like they didn't have the space or budget to show the actual *making* of the mess. Just the mess itself. Kinda clever, if you ask me.

The pacing is pretty brisk for a short, jumping from one mishap to the next. Sometimes a bit too fast. You barely have time to process one thing before the next one hits. The title cards themselves are simple, just telling you what’s happening, but they don’t add much humor.

The whole ending feels a little rushed, too. It builds up this tension between the neighbors, but then it sort of just… wraps up. Without much of a resolution, really. You’re left thinking, 'and then what?'

In the end, Big Hearted is an interesting watch if you're into the history of film. It’s a snapshot of comedy from nearly a century ago. But for sheer entertainment value today, it’s probably not going to win any awards. It's definitely not one for the casual viewer. A strange little film, that's for sure.

Random Notes I Jotted Down:

• Mrs. Blue’s hat, it's enormous. It must be so heavy!
• The dog, 'Spot,' makes an absolute mess. Good dog.
• They really liked throwing water in this film. Lots of splashes.
• Mr. Black's mustache is just *perfectly* villainous.
• Did anyone else notice the subtle shift in Mrs. Blue’s posture? From upright to slumping more and more as the film goes on.
• The neighbor's fence seems to be made of very flimsy material. It just collapses.