Patch Mah Britches: A Hillbilly Headache

Is this for you?

If you like your humor loud, slapsticky, and filled with folks who think eating with your hands is a high-class hobby, you might get a kick out of Patch Mah Britches. Everyone else? You’ll probably spend the whole runtime waiting for the credits to roll so you can finally have some peace and quiet.

It’s a classic setup. Barney tries to act all civilized, inviting his hillbilly troupe over for a nice meal. It feels like one of those moments in Fellow Citizens where someone just *needs* to keep their cool, but honestly, nobody here is interested in being cool.

The Mess

The pacing is… well, it doesn’t really have any. It just happens. People shout, food hits walls, and Smiley Burnette does his best to keep the train on the tracks while everyone else is busy throwing the train into a ditch.

There is this one bit where someone tries to use a fork properly and it looks like they are holding a pitchfork. It lasts maybe three seconds, but it was the only thing that made me chuckle. Why do they even bother trying?

• The soup scene is just pure chaos.
• I swear the sound effects guy was just hitting pots and pans with a hammer.
• Smiley looks tired. I think I know why.

It’s not trying to be a deep dive into the human spirit like The One Woman or anything. It’s just people acting like total goons for a few minutes. Sometimes that’s enough. Today, it felt like a bit too much. The yelling gets to you after a while.

If you’ve ever watched From the Ground Up, you know that these types of shorts rely heavily on the audience just wanting to see stuff break. If you aren't in the mood to see a dinner table get destroyed, just skip it. 🤠