Free Wheeling: A chaotic joyride that makes zero sense

If you have twenty minutes and want to see what happens when you put a bunch of kids in a car with no brakes, Free Wheeling is your movie. It is chaotic in that way only those old shorts could manage. You’ll probably like it if you grew up watching this stuff on grainy Saturday morning TV. If you hate slapstick or get anxious watching toddlers operate heavy machinery, maybe skip it.

The whole premise is just Stymie being Stymie. He’s got this rickety little car, and he’s convinced Dickie that a bumpy ride is the cure for a stiff neck. It’s the kind of logic you only find in black-and-white comedies from the thirties. Honestly? It works, in the most violent way possible.

There is this one moment where the car starts rolling down the hill, and the look on Spanky’s face isn't acting. That kid was genuinely terrified. You can see the exact moment the director realized they were getting some great footage by accident. It feels way more real than the stuff in The Seventh Commandment, which felt a bit stiff by comparison.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Free Wheeling (1932) through its definitive frames.

The street scenes are packed with extras who don't seem to know what to do with their hands. One guy in a suit just stands on the sidewalk, watching the car go by with this look of absolute confusion. I think he might have been a random passerby who wandered into the frame. It’s those little mistakes that make these movies charming.

Things I noticed while watching:

• The car makes a sound like a bag of silverware hitting a floor.
• Nobody wears a helmet. Obviously.
• Stymie’s hat somehow stays on his head during a massive crash. Physics don't apply to Stymie.
• The editing in the final act is super choppy, like they lost half the film reel.

It’s not a masterpiece, and it doesn't try to be. It’s just kids causing property damage and having a blast. Sometimes that’s all you need on a Tuesday night. 🚗💨

Also, the ending is so abrupt it feels like the projector just gave up. One second they are flying through the air, and the next, the screen is black. It caught me off guard. It reminded me a bit of the abrupt pacing in The Lost Express, just without the train tracks.

Anyway, keep your expectations low and your volume up. It's loud, it's messy, and it’s perfectly fine for what it is.