Charlie Chan at the Circus: A chaotic day under the big top

Is it worth your time?

If you like old, snappy mysteries where everyone talks in riddles, sure. If you get annoyed by movies that rely on "funny" kids and racial caricatures from the thirties, skip it. It's a relic, plain and simple.

Warner Oland is the whole show here. He plays Charlie Chan with this weirdly calm energy that makes him the only person in the room not losing their mind. Everyone else is running around the circus tents screaming about threatening letters, and he’s just standing there adjusting his hat.

The whole "big family at the circus" thing is a little exhausting. There’s a scene where the kids are just kind of everywhere, bumping into acrobats and looking confused. It feels like the director was trying to manage a kindergarten class rather than shoot a movie.

Speaking of the circus, the sets are delightfully cheap. You can almost see the paint peeling off the center ring in some shots. It has that vibe of a set that was built in a garage over a long weekend.

There is a guy in an ape suit. It’s not a great ape suit. It looks more like someone’s grumpy uncle got stuffed into a carpet remnant, but honestly, it’s the best part of the movie. It’s unintentionally hilarious every time he lumbers into frame.

• The dialogue is about 60% aphorisms and 40% people shouting at each other.
• The pacing is frantic, which is fine since the movie is barely over an hour.
• I’m still not sure why they needed that many children.

It’s not as sharp as The Marriage Lie, but it isn't trying to be. It’s just a B-movie mystery that knows its lane. It’s not going to win any awards, but it’s a fine way to kill 70 minutes if you’re folding laundry or something.

Some of the humor falls totally flat. It’s just... very of its time. You have to ignore a lot of stuff to get through it without rolling your eyes into the back of your head. But for a quick, breezy mystery? It’s not the worst thing I’ve sat through this week. 🎪