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7.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Three Little Pigskins remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have any patience for the Three Stooges, you probably already know if you’re watching this. If you hate physical comedy or get stressed when people scream in unison, skip it. It’s a classic short, but it’s definitely an acquired taste that hasn't aged with much grace.
The plot is essentially a delivery system for people getting hit with footballs. Moe, Larry, and Curly are mistaken for the 'Three Horsemen' by a gangster who needs them to win a game. It makes about as much sense as any other setup they ever had, which is to say, none at all.
Lucille Ball shows up here as a gun moll, and honestly, she’s the most interesting thing on screen. She looks like she’s trying to hold back a laugh in half her shots. It’s a reminder that everyone started somewhere, even if that 'somewhere' involved standing next to Curly while he makes weird grunting noises.
The football game itself is absolute chaos. It feels less like a sport and more like a riot where everyone forgot the rules of physics. You can tell the stunt work was probably pretty rough back then. At one point, the editing just gives up and cuts to a different angle entirely to hide how much of a mess the field was.
Some of the gags go on for about ten seconds too long. You can almost see the gears turning in their heads as they wait for the next cue. It’s not smooth, but there’s a weird charm to how frantic it gets. It reminded me a bit of the pacing in Making Good, where the energy is just set to 'maximum' regardless of whether it actually lands.
Curly is the whole show here. Whether he’s trying to catch a pass or just getting shoved into a locker, he’s the only one who seems to be having a genuinely good time. The others feel like they're just checking off boxes on a stunt list.
I wouldn't call this a masterpiece of cinema. It’s barely a coherent story. But for twenty minutes of pure, unadulterated nonsense? It works. It’s not quite as sharp as some of their other stuff, but it hits the spot if you just want to turn your brain off for a bit.
IMDb 5.8
1931
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