Chickens Come Home review: Laurel and Hardy at their most stressed

If you have thirty minutes and want to see two grown men absolutely lose their minds over a photograph, Chickens Come Home is worth your time. It’s perfect for anyone who likes watching a plan fall apart in real-time. If you hate slapstick or people making bad decisions, you’ll probably find this incredibly stressful.

Oliver Hardy is playing a guy running for mayor. He looks so proud in his big office, but you just know it isn't going to last.

Then Mae Busch walks in. She plays the "old flame" and she is genuinely intimidating.

She has this one look where she just stares at Ollie, and you can tell he's thinking about jumping out the window. She's got a naughty picture of them from the old days and she wants money, or maybe she just wants to cause trouble.

Ollie’s face does this thing where his eyes go wide and his neck seems to disappear into his collar. He’s so sweaty in this movie.

Naturally, he calls Stan to help. Stan is just sitting at home, probably minding his own business, and then he gets pulled into this blackmail plot.

There is a scene where Stan has to keep Mae Busch occupied while Ollie hosts a dinner party for some very important people. It’s basically a masterclass in how to be awkward.

The James Finlayson Factor

James Finlayson plays the butler. He does that squinty-eye thing that makes me laugh every single time.

The way he looks at Stan is like he's looking at a bug he wants to squish. It’s not even part of the main plot really, it’s just a vibe.

The movie feels a bit like The Bride's Relations in the way the domestic peace just gets absolutely shredded. Everything is loud even though it's an old film.

The pacing is pretty fast. Once the lady shows up at Ollie's house, it doesn't stop moving.

I noticed a small thing—Ollie’s wife, played by Thelma Todd, is actually really sharp. She isn't just a background character; she's clearly suspicious from the start.

There's a moment where Stan tries to hide under a table and it's so clumsy it hurts to watch. But in a good way.

Specific things that stuck with me:

• The way Ollie tries to act cool while his world is ending.
• Stan’s hat being slightly too small for his head as usual.
• The sheer amount of doors being slammed. 🚪
• That one reaction shot of the butler when he sees the chaos in the living room.

The ending is kind of abrupt. It doesn't really resolve everything perfectly, but that's fine.

It’s a very human movie because it’s all about being scared of your own mistakes. We've all had that feeling, maybe just not with a blackmailing Mae Busch.

The whole thing is just a solid bit of comedy. It doesn't try to be deep.

If you're looking for something polished, go elsewhere. This is messy and frantic.

I think I liked it more because it felt so desperate. Poor Ollie just wanted to be mayor.