The Flying Fool (1929) is a messy, charming look at early talkies

If you're into those dusty, crackling movies from that weird year when everyone was still figuring out how microphones worked, The Flying Fool is worth a look.

It’s perfect for someone who likes vintage aviation gear and doesn't mind a plot that’s basically a soap opera with propellers.

If you hate static-heavy audio or actors who over-enunciate every single word like they’re teaching a class, you will probably want to turn this off after five minutes. ✈️

William Boyd plays Bill, the big brother pilot who’s way too involved in his sibling's business.

His brother, Jimmy, played by Russell Gleason, is supposedly this grown man, but he acts like a teenager who just discovered what a crush is.

Jimmy is obsessed with a cabaret singer named Mawine—actually it's Marie, played by Marie Prevost.

Bill decides he’s going to 'save' Jimmy by proving the girl is just a gold digger.

It’s that classic trope where the guy goes in to be the hero and ends up being the one who falls the hardest.

There is a scene in the nightclub where the background noise is so loud it almost drowns out the dialogue.

Early sound films like this always have this chaotic energy because they didn't know how to mix tracks yet.

Marie Prevost has these incredibly wide eyes that look like they belong in a silent movie, which makes sense because she was a huge star in those.

She does this thing with her eyebrows when Bill is talking to her that makes it look like she knows exactly what he's up to.

I noticed Bill’s mustache is so perfectly thin it looks like it was drawn on with a very steady hand and a Sharpie.

The flying scenes are actually the highlight, even if they look a bit clunky now.

There’s a moment where they’re in the cockpit and the wind is clearly blowing their scarves around, and it feels actually real compared to the stiff stuff in the club.

It reminded me a bit of Have a Heart in terms of the brotherly drama, but with more leather jackets.

The pacing gets a little weird in the middle where they just sort of hang out and talk about their feelings in a way that feels like the script was being written on the fly.

One shot of a plane taking off lingers for a long time, just watching the dust kick up.

I don't think it was supposed to be artistic, I think they just liked the footage of the plane.

If you've seen The Reporter, you know how these late 20s films can feel a bit staged.

This one isn't a masterpiece or anything, but it’s got a certain heart to it.

The ending happens so fast you might blink and miss the resolution.

Everyone just kind of agrees to be okay with the situation, which isn't how real life works, but hey, it’s 1929.

I’d watch it again just for the outfits and the way they say 'swell' every other sentence. 🥂