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7.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Plumber remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have six minutes and love old-school cartoon chaos, yes, The Plumber (1933) is totally worth a quick watch today. Anyone who misses the raw, weird energy of early black-and-white animation will have a blast, but if you need a coherent story, you're gonna hate it.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit plays a plumber who is just trying to do his job. But this little rascal kid keeps messing with the water pipes and ruining everything.
It is basically just five minutes of water spraying everywhere. 💦
I love how physical these old cartoons are. The water behaves like solid jelly half the time, which makes zero sense but looks hilarious.
There's this one moment where Oswald tries to plug a leak with his nose. It is so stupid, I actually laughed out loud.
Tex Avery worked on this, and you can already see his crazy style starting to bloom here. It feels way more frantic than something like Two Weeks Off.
The kid in this short is an absolute menace. Honestly, he deserves a stint in The Criminal Code prison because he literally floods the entire house.
The background art is incredibly basic. It looks like someone drew it on a lunch napkin during their break, which is a bit of a bummer.
But the movement makes up for it! The way Oswald's ears stretch when he gets pulled by a pipe are pure gold.
Some of the gags don't land at all. Like, there is a weird joke with a dog that just kind of... happens and then ends without a punchline.
Still, it's way more fun than watching a dry documentary like The Towering Wonders of Utah.
If you want a deep plot, go watch A Christmas Carol instead. This is just pure, silly slapstick that doesn't care about logic.
It's these little mistakes and wild ideas that make these old shorts feel so alive to me. Definitely check it out if you need a quick laugh.