Mister Mugg: A chaotic, blink-and-you-miss-it relic

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, that depends on how much you enjoy feeling like you walked into the middle of an argument you don't understand. If you're into the weird, hyper-paced energy of 1930s shorts, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you need a plot that actually makes sense from start to finish? Skip it. You’ll just be annoyed.

Watching Mister Mugg felt like someone handed me a script with half the pages missing and just told the actors, 'go ahead, figure it out.' It’s frantic. It’s loud. It’s occasionally very funny for all the wrong reasons.

The Rhythm of the Thing

There is this one moment where James Gleason is trying to look stern, but you can clearly see him fighting back a grin. It’s barely a flicker. But it’s right there. It’s the kind of thing you’d never catch if you weren't actually paying attention.

The pacing is genuinely baffling. One second we're in a quiet room, and the next, someone is practically shouting lines about nothing in particular. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Skip the Maloo! where things just happen because the clock is running out.

• The props look like they were pulled from a nearby garage.
• Dorothy Christy is doing a lot of heavy lifting here with just her eyebrows.
• The editing feels like it was done with a pair of rusty kitchen scissors.

Oddly Specific Notes

Did anyone else notice the background wallpaper in the second act? It looks like it’s peeling off in real-time. I couldn't stop staring at this one loose corner behind Jack Pennick’s head. It’s more interesting than half the dialogue.

Also, the sound quality dips so hard in the middle that I actually checked my speakers. It’s not your equipment, I promise. It’s just the movie being its messy, imperfect self. 🙃

It’s nowhere near as cohesive as Over the Hill, but it has a weird, desperate charm. It’s not trying to be high art. It’s just trying to fill up the screen before the credits roll. Sometimes, that’s enough.

I left the viewing feeling like I’d just had a conversation with someone who talks way too fast and doesn't use periods. You don't walk away with a deep message, but you do walk away feeling a little bit jittery.