Fate's Fathead: A Messy, Low-Stakes Romp

Is this worth the watch?

If you like 1930s shorts where people run into rooms, look confused, and shout a lot, you'll probably get a kick out of this. If you need a plot that makes sense or characters who don't act like lunatics, stay away. This is pure, low-stakes fluff.

The whole thing hangs on a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in five seconds. But that wouldn't make for much of a movie, right? Dorothy Granger spends a good chunk of the runtime looking offended. It’s funny, in a way, just how quickly everyone here jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Charley Chase is doing his usual thing. He’s got that frantic energy, like he’s trying to keep a dozen plates spinning at once. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it feels like he’s running on fumes. There is a moment near the middle where he tries to explain himself, but he just ends up digging a deeper hole. Classic stuff.

The scenes at the Chase home are a bit claustrophobic. It’s like they shoved too many people into a living room and just yelled 'action!' The timing is honestly all over the place. Some jokes land perfectly, and others just hang there in the air, waiting for a laugh that never comes.

It’s hard not to compare this to stuff like The Wizard of Oz or the grit you see in White Heat, even if those are totally different genres. This feels smaller, more desperate to be liked. It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to get you to giggle before the next short starts.

Random observations:

• Hattie McDaniel is in this, which is always a treat, even when the script doesn't give her enough to do.
• There is a door that keeps opening and closing. I think it got more screen time than some of the actual actors. 🚪
• Why are people always so angry in these shorts? Everyone is yelling, yet nobody is actually saying anything important.
• The pacing feels like a rollercoaster that keeps stopping to check the ticket prices.

You can tell they were working with a shoestring budget. The sets look like they might fall over if someone slammed a door too hard. Not that it matters, really. The charm is in the mess.

It’s fine for a rainy afternoon. Don't overthink it. It's just a guy being a fathead, like the title says. 🤷‍♂️