Buster Keaton's Grand Slam Opera: A Short, Weird Little Trip

If you're looking for a serious piece of cinema to dissect over a glass of wine, skip Grand Slam Opera. But if you’ve got twenty minutes to kill and want to watch Buster Keaton try to juggle while doing a jig, you’re in the right place.

This isn't for everyone. The pacing is frantic, and if you don’t have a soft spot for old-school slapstick, it might just give you a headache. 🙄

Elmer Butts is basically a walking disaster. He’s got this radio amateur hour dream, and watching him prepare is like watching a car crash in slow motion. You want him to succeed, but you also kind of know he’s going to trip over his own feet.

There’s a moment where the juggling just gets entirely out of hand. It’s not graceful, it’s not clever, it’s just desperate. And honestly? I kind of loved it.

It’s nowhere near as polished as The Strange Love of Molly Louvain, but it has this weird, frantic energy that keeps you watching. It feels like it was filmed on a dare.

I found myself staring at the background extras more than the main plot at one point. Some of them look like they’d rather be literally anywhere else, which is a nice touch of unintentional comedy.

Observations from the cheap seats:

• The radio booth set looks like it’s held together by tape and pure hope.
• Buster’s face remains remarkably deadpan even when he’s literally falling apart.
• That one guy in the third row of the audience is definitely asleep.
• The sound editing is… well, let’s call it 'experimental' for the time.

It’s a tiny, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of film. Don’t go looking for deep themes or life-changing revelations here. It’s just a man, some props, and a whole lot of flailing. Sometimes that’s enough. 🎩

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Heave-Ho, but with way more props flying into the air. If you're a completist, you'll watch it. If you're just looking for a laugh, you might find one or two.

It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to survive the stage. Kind of like me on a Monday morning. ☕