Heart Trouble (1928) Review: Harry Langdon is a beautiful mess

If you have any love for the slow, slightly weird vibe of silent comedies, you should definitely track this one down. It is perfect for people who like a hero who is basically a human marshmallow, but you will probably hate it if you need your movies to have actual logic or fast pacing. 🎞️

Harry Langdon is the lead and he is an acquired taste, for sure. He doesn't do the crazy stunts like Keaton or the fancy footwork like Chaplin.

He mostly just stands there looking *confused* and slightly damp. It’s great.

In this one, he plays Harry Van Housen. He's the son of German immigrants and he’s desperate to join the army to prove he is a "true-blue" American to his girl.

The scene where the army doctors reject him is the highlight for me. They give him a list of why he’s unfit that is just mean, honestly.

He is too short, he has flat feet, and—my favorite part—he has dandruff. I didn't know dandruff was a national security threat in 1918, but okay.

Langdon reacts to all this with a blank stare that makes you wonder if he’s actually awake. It’s that specific kind of 1920s humor that feels totally random and personal.

The movie reminds me a bit of the awkward energy in All Wrong. Just a guy who cannot get anything right no matter how hard he tries.

Eventually, the plot moves away from the recruitment office and into a spy story. Harry basically wanders into a secret German base that is supplying submarines.

He isn't even trying to be a spy. He’s just sort of there, and things start blowing up because he’s clumsy.

There is one bit with a German officer that goes on about thirty seconds too long. You can feel the movie stretching the gag until it’s not really funny anymore, just sort of quiet.

But then he manages to free an American officer and the whole base goes up in smoke. The explosion is actually pretty big for a movie this old. 💥

I like that Harry doesn't suddenly become a tough guy. He’s still the same blinking, hesitant kid even when he’s winning.

The ending is really what makes it. The whole town is waiting to give him a hero's welcome with a parade and everything.

But Harry doesn't show up. He is too busy courting his girl in the backyard to care about a parade.

It’s a very sweet, small moment. It makes the rest of the ridiculous spy stuff feel a bit more grounded.

It isn't a masterpiece or anything. But it’s got a lot of heart, which I guess is why they named it that.

If you liked the vibe in Felix in Love, you will probably find this charming in the same way. It’s just a nice, simple story about a guy who is a total disaster.

The way he squints at things because he is nearsighted is actually very relatable. I do the same thing when I can't find my phone in the morning.

Not every joke lands, and the middle part drags a bit. Still, watching Harry Langdon try to be a soldier is worth the price of admission alone.