Uppercut O'Brien: Andy Clyde is the only reason to watch this

Is it actually worth your time?

If you have twenty minutes and you like old-school slapstick where people fall over for no reason, then sure. It’s a fun enough distraction if you don’t expect anything smart.

People who need a deep story or high-quality sound will absolutely hate this. It’s loud, it’s crumbly, and the logic is basically non-existent. 🥊

Andy Clyde is the main draw here, and honestly, he’s carrying the whole thing on his back. He plays a manager who is basically a ball of pure stress and bad luck.

His star boxer just decides to quit and walk out on him. It’s not like there’s a big dramatic reason; he just leaves.

Then the guy starts claiming he’s the champ, which is just rude. The movie doesn't really explain how he gets away with it, but that’s Mack Sennett movies for you.

The gym scenes are probably the best part. You can almost smell the old leather and the dust coming off the floor mats.

There is a specific moment where Andy is trying to show a new guy how to punch. He looks like a scared bird trying to fight a mountain.

I think Harry Gribbon is the one playing the big guy? He’s huge compared to Andy, and the visual gag of them standing next to each other never really gets old.

It’s not exactly a masterpiece of the genre like The Patent Leather Kid. That one actually feels like a movie, while this feels like a bunch of guys messing around on a Tuesday.

The pacing is a bit weird too. It feels like they had about ten minutes of ideas and had to stretch it out to fill the reel.

The weird little things

• The way the crowd moves in the background is totally unnatural. It looks like they told the extras to "act excited" and they all just started vibrating.
• There is a reaction shot of Marjorie Beebe that lasts about four seconds too long. It gets weirdly uncomfortable.
• The sound quality is pretty rough, even for 1929. Sometimes the thuds sound like someone hitting a wet rug with a shovel.
• Andy’s mustache is basically its own character. I spent most of the movie wondering if it was going to fall off during the fight scenes.

I noticed the lighting changes completely in the middle of a scene. Like, they clearly stopped for lunch and came back when the sun was in a totally different spot. ☀️

Nobody seems to care about continuity here. It adds a certain charm to it, I guess?

If you’ve seen Madcap Madge, you know the kind of chaotic energy I’m talking about. It’s that specific brand of comedy where the goal is just to keep moving so the audience doesn't think too hard.

The writers, like Earle Rodney and Harry McCoy, were basically churn machines. They knew exactly what worked for a 1920s audience who just wanted to see a guy get a bucket of water dumped on him.

The guy claiming to be the champion is so arrogant it’s almost funny. He walks around with his chest puffed out like he’s wearing an invisible suit of armor.

There’s a scene where he’s bragging to a group of people and you can see one of the actors in the back almost break character and laugh. I love stuff like that.

It makes the movie feel more like a play put on by your slightly drunk uncles. It’s messy and imperfect, but it has a heart to it.

I think the ending comes out of nowhere. It just sort of... stops?

One minute they are arguing, and the next, the credits are rolling. It’s like the film ran out and they just said, "Eh, good enough."

Is it better than A Camouflage Kiss? Probably not, but it’s shorter, which is a plus in my book.

If you're looking for something sophisticated, go watch Fashions for Women. This is strictly for people who want to see a man with a funny mustache get frustrated with a giant.

Honestly, I’d watch Andy Clyde do anything. He has this way of looking at the camera like he’s asking the audience for a loan or a hug.

It’s a fine movie. Not great, not terrible, just very, very silly.

Go in with low expectations and you’ll probably have a decent time. Just don’t expect to remember much about it an hour later.