Super Stupid: A chaotic mess of old-school slapstick

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’ve got a weird itch for 1930s-style slapstick where people just scream at each other for ten minutes straight. It’s not exactly Red-Headed Woman in terms of, you know, quality or wit. But for a short, punchy bit of nonsense, it hits the spot.

If you prefer your comedies to actually make sense or have, like, a functioning script, you’re gonna have a bad time. Stay away if you hate loud noises.

The premise is basically a disaster waiting to happen.

Our two lead hustlers are selling elixirs that probably cure everything from baldness to a broken heart. They get hired by some local rube to auction off his junk. But then they wander into the police chief's house instead. Classic.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Super Stupid (1934) through its definitive frames.

Watching them try to sell a chair while the chief is probably about to walk through the door is just… stressful. It’s the kind of pacing that makes you want to reach through the screen and just tell them to leave.

• The dialogue is mostly just shouting.
• The police chief’s house is surprisingly easy to break into, apparently.
• The actors really, really commit to the bit where they look surprised.

There’s a moment where they’re auctioning off a lamp and the sheer audacity is almost impressive. It feels less like a movie and more like a stage play that got lost on its way to a theater. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in True to the Navy, though maybe a bit more desperate.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed in an afternoon on a dare. Which, considering the era, it probably was. Sometimes you can see a guy in the background just standing there waiting for his cue. It’s charming in a 'nobody really cares' kind of way.

Is it great? No. Is it weirdly fun to watch these guys dig a hole for themselves? Sure. Don’t overthink it, because the movie definitely didn’t. 🤡