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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Four Parts remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for those old-school comedies where everyone runs around in circles, you might get a kick out of Four Parts. If you hate confusion or get stressed out by characters who never listen, skip this one.
Honestly, watching Charley Chase deal with his brothers is like watching someone try to juggle while riding a unicycle. It is mostly chaos.
Four. And they are all identical. It makes you wonder how the poor girlfriend manages to keep her sanity for more than five minutes. There is this one scene where she is just staring at them with this look of pure, unadulterated exhaustion that really hit home for me. 😅
It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Our Wife, though maybe a little less focused on the wedding bells and more on just being generally overwhelmed by life.
It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to get a laugh. Sometimes it works, sometimes it feels like they’re trying way too hard to make the "identical brother" bit stick. It’s funny in the way a bad dream is funny—you know, where you’re running but not moving?
I don’t know. It’s a relic, really. If you’ve seen Charley's Aunt, you’ll recognize the brand of humor here, though this one feels a bit smaller, like it was filmed in someone’s living room. Not that it matters. The slapstick lands okay.
I think I preferred the side characters more than the brothers themselves. They seem way more grounded, which makes the whole thing feel slightly less like a circus. 🎪