Joe E. Brown's giant mouth and Bela Lugosi as 'Poncho' in Broadminded (1931)

Is this worth your time?

If you like old comedies where people shout for no reason and cars break down in the middle of nowhere, you’ll probably have a good time with Broadminded. It’s a 1931 movie that feels like it was written on a napkin during a lunch break, but in a way that’s actually kind of charming.

If you hate Joe E. Brown’s face or his giant mouth, stay far away from this one. Seriously, it’s a lot of him. It's basically the Joe E. Brown Show featuring some other people who are trying their best to be heard over him.

The plot is pretty thin, which is fine for a movie like this. Jack is a playboy, his dad is annoyed, so he gets sent to California to "reform." It's the classic 1930s setup where California is treated like this magical land where you can't possibly get into trouble, which we all know is a lie. 😂

His buddy Ossie (played by Joe E. Brown) goes along to keep him straight. Which is funny because Ossie is basically a walking disaster. He’s the kind of guy who tries to help and ends up breaking three windows and a chair.

There is this one scene early on where they are driving and they meet a guy named Poncho. And guess who plays Poncho? It’s Bela Lugosi. Yes, that Bela Lugosi.

It is so weird seeing him in a comedy playing a "hot-tempered Latin" type. He’s wearing this tiny mustache and looking like he’s about to bite someone, but not in a Dracula way. He’s just really, really mad about his car. 🚗

He gets into a fight with them over a car accident and it’s easily the best part of the first half. Lugosi has this way of being intense even when the scene is totally stupid. You can almost see him wondering if he should have stayed in Europe, but he’s commited to the bit.

The movie is a road trip movie before that was really a big genre. They stop at these dusty little places and you can tell the sets are just painted backdrops sometimes. It gives it a weird, stagey feel that I actually kind of liked. It’s cozy.

I noticed that the sound is a bit rough in the outdoor scenes. Like the microphones were hidden in a bush ten feet away. Sometimes the wind picks up and you can barely hear Jack talking about his feelings. Not that his feelings are that interesting, anyway.

Broadminded doesn't really try to be deep. It’s just gags. Some of them land, some of them are just... loud. There's a lot of physical comedy that feels like it belongs in Custard Pies or something from the silent era.

Once they get to Pasadena, it turns into a standard "oh no, my ex-girlfriend is here" story. Jack falls for Connie, but then Mabel shows up to ruin everything. Mabel is played by Margaret Livingston. She’s great at being the "annoying woman from the past" trope. She has this way of walking into a room and making everyone immediately uncomfortable.

There’s a bit with a dog that goes on way too long. I think they just liked the dog. Or maybe the dog was the producer's nephew. It just sort of hangs around while the humans do their thing. 🐶

Joe E. Brown does his trademark yell. You know the one. His mouth opens so wide you can see what he had for breakfast. It’s impressive, honestly. I don't know how his jaw doesn't come unhinged like a snake.

It’s not as funny as something like Oh What a Knight but it has more energy than some of the other stuff from this era. It feels faster. Like the director was worried the audience would get bored if someone wasn't falling over every five minutes.

The ending is a bit of a rush. Everything just sort of works out because the movie ran out of film. There's a proposal, a misunderstanding, and then boom, it's over. I was still trying to figure out what happened to Poncho.

I liked the weird little details. Like how they dress for a road trip in 1931. Suits and ties! In a convertible! The dust must have been incredible. I can't imagine driving across the country in a three-piece suit without losing my mind.

One reaction shot of Joe E. Brown looking at a girl lingers so long it becomes funny, then weird, then funny again. It’s that kind of movie. It doesn't know when to quit, but you don't really want it to.

Is it a masterpiece? No. But if you want to see Bela Lugosi try to be funny, it's worth the hour or so. It reminded me a bit of the chaos in Boneyard Blues, just with more budget for cars and fancy hats.

One thing that bugged me was the music. It just stops and starts at weird times. But hey, it was 1931. They were still figuring out where to put the speakers and how to keep the actors from tripping over the wires. 🎙️

If you're looking for a deep meditation on the human condition, go watch something else. If you want to see a guy with a giant mouth yell at a guy with a cape (minus the cape), give this a look. It's messy, it's loud, and it's perfectly fine for a Tuesday night.