Lazy Days (1929) Review - A very sweaty, very slow short film

Is it worth your twenty minutes?

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for the Our Gang crew or if you are obsessed with early sound movies. It is a strange, slow experience that feels exactly like its title. ☀️

If you need fast-paced jokes or high-def visuals, stay far away from this one. You will likely find it boring or just plain confusing.

The whole thing kicks off with Farina in a hammock. He looks like he has given up on life entirely because of the temperature.

I honestly felt that in my soul. It is one of those days where even breathing feels like a chore.

The kids are all sitting around on a porch. The dialogue is that classic, clunky early talkie style where everyone speaks very... slowly... so the microphones... can catch it.

It makes the children sound like they are reciting a grocery list instead of talking to friends. But there is a charm to it.

They decide to enter a baby contest. The stakes are low, but the kids act like it is the World Series.

Farina is told he is too lazy by his mother. It is a bit of a recurring gag that feels a little uncomfortable today, but the movie leans into it hard.

The dog, Pal, is easily the best part of the scene. He has that iconic circle around his eye.

I spent five minutes wondering if they used a stencil or if they just freehanded it with a marker. It looks too perfect. 🐶

There is a moment where the kids are trying to wash the babies. It is pure chaos.

One of the babies looks genuinely concerned about what is happening. I don't blame the kid.

If you compare this to something like The Little Intruder, you can see how much they were struggling with the new sound tech. In that movie, things felt a bit more fluid.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Lazy Days (1929) through its definitive frames.

Here, the camera barely moves. It is like the cameraman was also too hot to push the equipment around.

Joe Cobb is in this one, and he is just a delight to look at. He has this permanent expression of mild surprise.

Then you have Chubby, who was the 'new' big kid at the time. You can see the torch being passed between them.

It is like watching a changing of the guard in a very small, very dusty kingdom.

The baby contest itself is a mess. It is just a bunch of mothers in 1920s hats looking stressed out.

One lady in the background is wearing a hat that looks like a collapsed cake. I couldn't stop looking at it. 👒

The prize for the contest is five dollars. Back then, that was probably a fortune.

The way they talk about the money makes it sound like they are planning a heist. They are so serious about it.

I noticed a fly buzzing around one of the kids' faces for a good thirty seconds. They didn't even swat it.

That is real acting. Or they were just too tired to move their hands.

The sound quality is pretty rough. There is a constant hiss that sounds like a radiator leaking in the background.

It adds to the feeling of the heat. You can almost smell the dust on the set.

The movie doesn't really have a plot. It is more of a collection of things that happened near a porch.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Lazy Days (1929) through its definitive frames.

It reminded me a bit of the slow pace in The Marriage Market, though that was a silent. Sometimes sound actually makes things feel slower.

Wheezer is there, being tiny and adorable. He doesn't have much to do except exist.

Mary Ann Jackson has a few lines that she delivers with so much attitude. She was always the smartest one in the room.

The ending is very abrupt. It doesn't really resolve anything.

They just kind of win, and then the movie quits. It is like the film roll just ran out and they said, "Good enough."

I liked it more than Camping Out because it felt more honest about how miserable summer can be.

There is no fake movie energy here. Just kids being grumpy and sweaty.

If you want to see what 1929 looked like when nobody was trying to be fancy, this is it.

It is not a masterpiece. It is barely a movie.

But it is a weirdly cozy way to spend twenty minutes. Just make sure you have a cold drink nearby. 🥤

I keep thinking about that hammock. I might go buy one now.

Final thought: the babies in the 1920s looked much older than babies today. Why is that?

Maybe it was the hats. Or the black and white film.

Anyway, watch it for the dog. The dog is a professional.