We! We! Marie! Review: Slim Summerville gets bullied for 20 minutes

Is it worth the watch?

If you like watching a very tall, skinny man get pushed into the dirt, then yes. It is a quick sit.

People who want a serious war movie will hate this. It’s mostly just two guys being mean to each other in France.

I found it on a whim while looking for something else. It has that specific 1920s vibe where everyone is moving a little too fast and nobody seems to care about safety.

Slim Summerville is the star here. He looks like a human folding chair that someone forgot to lock into place.

His face is just naturally sad. Even when he’s happy, he looks like he’s about to lose his lunch or get hit by a truck.

The plot is basically him and Sergeant Gribbon liking the same girl, Marie. But Gribbon has the stripes on his sleeve, so he just cheats.

There is a scene where Gribbon gives her this fancy lingerie. It’s supposed to be romantic, I guess, but it just feels like he’s showing off because he has more money than Slim.

Slim just stands there looking devastated. It is kind of heart-breaking in a goofy way.

The sergeant isn't a nice guy. He keeps sending Slim to dig latrines every time Slim tries to talk to the girl.

It’s a very repetitive joke. Slim picks up a shovel, looks at the camera, and walks away like a dog that just got yelled at.

The war feels like it's happening three miles away and nobody really cares. It's just a backdrop for these two idiots to fight over a girl who probably deserves better anyway.

I liked the way the uniforms look all baggy and dusty. It feels real in a way that modern movies sometimes miss because they try to make everything look perfect.

There is one shot where Slim is trying to be sneaky and he’s so tall he can’t hide behind anything. It’s basic physical comedy, but it works because his limbs are so long.

It reminded me a bit of the pacing in The Ballyhoo Buster. Just fast and kind of chaotic.

Sometimes the editing is a bit jumpy. Like a whole chunk of time passed and they just didn't bother to tell us.

The girl, Marie, played by Pauline Garon, doesn't get much to do. She mostly just smiles and accepts gifts, which is how these old shorts usually went.

The Latrine Obsession

• Slim spends about 40% of the movie with a shovel.
• The Sergeant’s laugh is probably very loud, even though we can’t hear it.
• The dirt looks very dry and itchy.

I wonder if they actually filmed this in a real field or just a big dirt lot in California. Probably the lot.

It doesn't have the weird mystery of something like The Heart Line. It’s very straightforward.

The title is a pun on the song 'Oui, Oui, Marie,' which everyone knew back then. It feels dated now, but you can tell they were trying to be topical.

There’s a bit where Gribbon tries to act tough, but he just comes off as a big bully. It’s hard to root for him at all.

I actually felt bad for Slim. He’s just trying his best with his zero dollars and his shovel.

One reaction shot of Slim looking at the lingerie stays on screen for way too long. It goes from funny to awkward to funny again.

It’s not as snowy or isolated as Snowbound, obviously. It’s just dusty.

If you're bored on a Sunday, this is fine. It won't change your life, but it’s better than looking at your phone for twenty minutes.

The ending feels a bit rushed. Like they ran out of film or the sun was going down and they just decided to stop.

I wish there was more Marie in it. She has a sparky energy that the movie doesn't use enough.

Anyway, it’s a decent slice of 1920s slapstick. Watch it for Slim’s weird walk if nothing else. 🎬