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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Bring 'Em Back a Wife remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you are a completionist for early 1930s shorts or have a weird soft spot for Ben Blue. If you aren't into the 'guy in a dress' trope that was seemingly mandatory in every other comedy back then, you’re going to have a rough time. It’s short, it’s loud, and it’s about as subtle as a brick to the forehead. 🙄
Billy Gilbert is here, of course. The man could carry a scene just by looking confused, and he does a lot of that here. The plot is basically a thin wire stretched across a canyon of pratfalls.
Watching Ben get shoved into a wig and a dress is... well, it’s exactly what you expect. It’s not graceful. It’s not clever. But there’s a weirdly frantic energy to the way they hide him from the boss. The whole thing feels like a dress rehearsal that they just decided to film while the cameras were rolling.
There's a moment where he’s trying to walk in heels that goes on for just a beat too long. It’s uncomfortable, and I think that’s the point? Or maybe they just forgot to yell cut.
It lacks the genuine heart you might find in something like Tillie and Gus. That movie had some actual character stakes. This one? It’s just people running into rooms and screaming at each other. It’s barely a movie; it’s more of a sketch that escaped a variety show.
I found myself zoning out halfway through. The pacing is just
It’s not a classic. It’s not even really a 'good' movie by modern standards. But it’s a time capsule of a very specific, very loud era of comedy. If you want to see how they used to do physical humor before it became a lost art, maybe give it ten minutes. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🤷♂️