Crazy Dandy (1935) review - Pure, chaotic Sandrini goofiness

If you have seventy minutes to spare and don't mind scratchy 1930s audio, Crazy Dandy is actually a blast.

But if you hate fast-talking, sweaty physical comedy, this will probably give you a headache in five minutes flat. 😅

The plot is basically nothing.

Luis Sandrini plays this incredibly dorky store clerk who has to travel to Buenos Aires because the girl he likes got snatched by some bad guys.

He is definitely not an action hero.

In fact, he spends half the movie looking like he is about to sneeze or fall over his own feet.

There is this one great scene early on where he tries to pack a suitcase and somehow ends up wrapping his own leg in a scarf.

It is totally dumb, but I laughed out loud.

The criminals he fights are even funnier because they try so hard to look menacing.

They wear these giant, boxy suits that make them look like children pretending to be gangsters.

It reminds me a bit of the silly tone in Guard That Girl, though this one is way more chaotic.

You can tell the writers just wanted to get Sandrini into weird situations as fast as possible.

Some of the street scenes in Buenos Aires actually look cool, even with the blurry film quality.

You see these old cars rattling by and people staring directly at the camera because they probably didn't know what a movie crew was doing there.

The romance part is... well, it is barely there.

The girl, played by Sofia Bozan, does not get much to do except look worried in a very nice hat.

But honestly, who watches these for the romance anyway?

If you want something with actual plot tension, you are better off trying Self Defense.

But for pure, goofy energy, Sandrini is hard to beat.

There is a moment near the end where he tries to sneak through a window and gets his trousers caught on a nail.

The camera just stays on his face for a solid ten seconds while he tries to pretend nothing is wrong.

It is incredibly stupid and easily the best part of the whole thing.

Definitely worth a look if you like old-school Spanish-language comedy that does not take itself seriously.