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4.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Homeless Homer remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have six minutes and like seeing rubbery animation from the 1920s, yes. It is perfect for people who find old-school slapstick relaxing.
If you hate repetitive gags or silent shorts, you will probably find it annoying. It's definitely not a deep story. 🐭
I found this while looking through some old archives and honestly, I forgot how aggressive Oswald used to be. He’s usually the nice guy, but here he is just trying to be a good samaritan and it blows up in his face.
The plot is basically nothing. Oswald sees Homer the cat out in the snow, looking all pathetic and shivering.
He brings him inside and decides the cat needs a bath. Mistake number one.
Homer isn't really a 'character' so much as a giant, round obstacle. He looks like a sack of coal with eyes.
There is this one moment where Homer is resisting the tub and his body just stretches across the room. It’s that classic rubber-hose style where physics don't exist.
I love how the water in these old cartoons looks like thick syrup. It doesn't splash; it just kind of globs around.
Oswald’s house is also strangely empty. It feels like he moved in five minutes ago and only bought a bathtub and a stove.
The pacing is a bit weird. It starts slow with the snow stuff, then suddenly it’s just pure chaos in the bathroom.
I noticed that Homer’s face stays almost exactly the same even when he’s being scrubbed. He has this dead-eyed stare that is actually kind of creepy if you look too close. 🙀
Friz Freleng and Rudolf Ising worked on this, and you can see the early versions of the gags they’d use later in bigger stuff. It feels like a rough draft of history.
There is a bit with a scrub brush that goes on for a long time. Maybe too long.
The ending is a bit of a letdown, to be honest. It just kind of stops after the big mess is made.
I’ve seen better Oswald shorts, like maybe Action, but this one has a certain charm because of how messy it gets. It’s less polished than the Disney-era Oswald stuff.
It reminds me of those old shorts like Bring Home the Turkey where the whole point is just one task going horribly wrong. No subtext, just disaster.
One detail I liked: the way the steam comes off the water. It’s just little loopy lines that look like springs.
Homer eventually gets the upper hand, and Oswald ends up looking like the homeless one. The irony isn't subtle, but it works for a 1928 audience, I guess.
It’s weirdly violent in a soft way? Like, they are hitting each other with objects but nobody seems to feel pain.
I watched this right after The Jungle Goddess and the change in vibe was pretty jarring. From silent drama to a cat fighting a bathtub.
The music (in the version I saw) was added later, but it fits that bouncy, frantic energy. It’s the kind of music that makes your head hurt if you listen to it for more than ten minutes.
If you're into the history of the guys who started Looney Tunes, this is a cool artifact. Freleng and Ising were basically learning how to make funny movements here.
It isn't a masterpiece. It's just a silly little drawing that moves fast.
I think I prefer the shorts that have a bit more of a journey, like High Spots of Hawaii, but for a domestic comedy, this is fine. It’s fine!
Don't expect to be moved to tears. Unless you really hate seeing soap wasted.
Actually, the scene where the bubbles fill the room is pretty cool for 1928. They must have spent ages drawing all those circles.
The way the cat dries himself off is probably the highlight. He just shakes and the water flies off like bullets.
Anyway, it’s a decent watch if you’re bored. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It's just a rabbit and a cat having a bad day. 🐰
IMDb 6.3
1921
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