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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Farmerette remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a massive soft spot for the absolute weirdness of early animation and silent-era logic. If you hate things that make zero sense or get annoyed when a cartoon pig is more charismatic than the lead, stay far away. But if you want to see a flapper shake her fringe at a lazy mule until it starts plowing the field, well, this is your lucky day. 🐄
There is no real reason for this movie to exist, but I'm kind of glad it does. Margie Hines has this manic energy that just refuses to quit. She’s throwing herself into these dance numbers like she’s trying to power a city grid with her own two feet. The animals are just standing there looking bored, which is probably the most relatable part of the whole thing.
You can tell the animators were just having fun with the physics here. A cow doesn't just start walking because of a little jazz; it starts doing a jig. It’s completely unhinged. It reminds me of the chaotic energy you find in A Tray Full of Trouble, where logic is just a suggestion that everyone decided to ignore.
The pacing is… frantic. There isn't a single moment where someone isn't moving, vibrating, or bouncing off the walls. Sometimes it’s exhausting to watch, like someone fed the film stock a gallon of espresso.
I found myself wondering if the farm animals were actually unionized. They look so grumpy during the first half! It’s like they were holding out for better hay before they decided to cooperate with the musical numbers. It’s not quite as gritty as The Harvester, but it has that same obsession with rural life, just with 100% more Charleston.
It’s silly. It’s barely a story. But it has a heartbeat that most modern stuff misses entirely. Sometimes you just need to watch a flapper dance for a goat to feel something, you know? 💃