The Officer's Mess: Shemp Being Shemp

Is it worth your time?

If you like watching a man try to pour coffee and failing with spectacular results, then sure. If you need a plot that makes sense, look elsewhere. This is for people who think physical comedy is the peak of cinema. Everyone else will probably want to turn it off after the first five minutes of shouting.

Shemp Howard is the whole show here. He’s got that look on his face like he just woke up in a different time zone. Watching him try to navigate basic military drills is like watching a puppy try to solve a math problem. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s barely a movie.

There is this one scene where he’s serving drinks in the mess hall and he manages to drop an entire tray of dishes. It’s not just a drop, though. It’s a rhythmic, cascading disaster. The way he just stares at the pile of broken plates after it’s all over? It’s kind of sad, actually.

The conflict with the commanding officer feels totally tacked on. It’s like the writers realized they needed a reason for Shemp to be nervous, so they threw in a random run-in from earlier. It doesn't really matter. You’re not watching this for the tension. You’re watching it to see if Shemp trips over the same chair twice.

Bits and pieces

• The drill sergeant’s face turns this shade of purple that I didn't think was possible in black and white.
• The uniforms look like they were pulled out of a laundry basket five minutes before filming.
• The pacing is frantic, which is fine, but it leaves zero room to breathe.

It’s not as well-oiled as some of the classics, like Delikatessen, where the chaos actually means something. Here, the chaos is just noise. It’s a bit like watching a live-action cartoon without the budget for the paint.

Sometimes the movie gets better when it stops trying to tell a story. Just let Shemp run into a wall and call it a day. The script is surprisingly thin, even for a short comedy. You can practically hear the writers scratching their heads in the background.

I found myself zoning out during the dialogue scenes. They’re just there to bridge the gap between one pratfall and the next. Honestly? I didn't mind. The dialogue is mostly just people yelling at Shemp anyway.

Maybe it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a weird little artifact. If you’re into old-school slapstick, you’ll find something to laugh at. If you’re expecting something more, you’re in the wrong mess hall. 🤷‍♂️