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5.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Old Spanish Customers remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only watch Old Spanish Customers if you’ve exhausted every other comedy from the 1930s. If you are a fan of The Kid from Spain, you might find a crumb of amusement here. Everyone else? You’ll probably find the whole thing a bit tedious.
The premise is classic slapstick bait. Bill wins a trip, loses his wife, and becomes a matador by accident. It's the kind of plot that feels like it was scribbled on a napkin during lunch.
There’s a specific bit where Bill is trying to navigate a local market while wearing the matador’s getup. It goes on for way too long. The camera just sits there while he clumsily knocks over fruit crates. It’s not even that funny, but it’s very loud.
It reminded me a bit of the chaos in Too Much Johnson, though with significantly less charm. You can almost see the actors waiting for their cues to start the next gag. It lacks that spark of genuine spontaneity.
Is the wife character annoying? Yes. Is Bill dim-witted? Very. But that’s the point, I guess. The movie doesn't try to be anything other than a silly vehicle for pratfalls. Sometimes it succeeds, but mostly it just rattles along until the credits roll.
I found myself checking the time about halfway through. That’s rarely a good sign. There’s a scene where Bill is hiding behind a fence that lasts for an eternity. The silence is supposed to be funny, I think, but it just feels like the film hit a wall.
Don't go in expecting high art. It's just a dusty relic. Some of the physical comedy hits, but a lot of it just feels tired. Maybe it was funnier ninety years ago. Today? It’s just a curiosity for people who like to see how movies used to fill time.