Why Brats is the weirdest Laurel and Hardy short I've seen

You should watch this if you have twenty minutes and want to see something genuinely bizarre. It's perfect for anyone who likes old-school slapstick or just wants to see how they did special effects before computers. If you hate loud noises or grown men acting like babies, you'll probably turn it off after three minutes.

The whole gimmick here is that Laurel and Hardy play themselves *and* their own sons. To make the grown-ups look like kids, they built this massive set with giant chairs and huge doors. It’s a bit like a fever dream. 🤡

I found myself staring at the furniture more than the actors sometimes. The oversized checkers set looks heavy as lead. When 'Little Stan' tries to climb onto the sofa, it looks like a genuine mountain-climbing expedition.

The plot is basically nothing. The dads want to play pool and checkers. The kids won't go to sleep. That’s the whole thing.

There is this one scene where they are playing pool and the camera stays on Ollie’s face for a long time. He does that look he always does. You know, the "why am I friends with this guy" look. It never gets old.

I noticed the sound is a bit rough in this one. It was 1930, so they were still figuring out microphones. Sometimes the crying sounds like a literal siren going off in your ear. 📢

It’s way different than something like The Americano or some of the more serious stuff from that era. This is just pure, loud nonsense.

The bathtub scene is the highlight for me. Water goes everywhere. And I mean everywhere. You can tell they only had one take for some of this because the floor is soaking wet before the big splash even happens.

I forgot how much they actually hit each other in these. The dads are surprisingly mean to the kids, but since they are playing the kids too, I guess it’s fine? It’s a weird loop of slapstick.

Sometimes the rhythm feels off. A joke will land, and then they just stand there for five seconds too long. It’s like they were waiting for a laugh from a live audience that wasn't there. 🤨

I was thinking about The Unknown while watching this, mostly because both movies use physical tricks to mess with your eyes. But this is much lighter, obviously. No one is losing limbs here, just their patience.

The ending is a bit abrupt. It just... stops. No big moral or anything. Just a lot of water and a very frustrated Oliver Hardy.

Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. But it’s funnier than most of the stuff that tries way harder. 🛁

If you enjoy seeing practical sets that must have cost a fortune to build just for a few gags, you'll dig this. It’s also much more energetic than something like East Lynne which feels like a museum piece in comparison.

One small detail: look at the way Stan Laurel cries. He doesn't just make a noise; his whole face sort of collapses into itself. It’s impressive, honestly. I tried doing it in the mirror and just looked like I had a cramp.

Check it out if you’re bored. It’s short, it’s loud, and the giant mouse trap gag is actually pretty clever for its time.