Just perfect...

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

A fairly weak effort from the Marx brothers. Plot is random, and skits seem formulaic. The music was irritating. There are a few good moments, but not enough to make it worth watching.

It's the Wilson Wonder Circus run by Jeff Wilson. His girlfriend Julie Randall sings and performs with her dancing horse. John Carter is recalling the $10k loan early. Wilson assures him that he is ready to pay despite his aunt Mrs. Susanna Dukesbury disinheriting him. Wilson's loyal worker Tony Pirelli (Chico Marx) fears the scheming Carter and sends a telegraph to attorney J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho Marx). They are joined by Punchy (Harpo Marx) and his seal. Carter recruits circus strongman Goliath and midget Little Professor Atom to steal Wilson's money so that he can steal the circus.The Marx brothers continue to be the Marx brother. It's got all of their humor and vaudevillian act. Groucho walks upside down although that could have been funnier. There is some animal work and Harpo riding an ostrich is kind of fun. It's the circus but they fail use that to its maximum until the last flourish. There should be more of that throughout the movie. There should be knife throwing and clowns. Did I miss the clowns? The possibilities are so great and yet they failed to use it all. This is fine for Marx fans but it's lesser Marx nevertheless.

So-so Marx Bros. effort is not in the same league as their earlier classics but it warrants a look if you have already seen those films. It's certainly better than most of their 1940s output. The plot's familiar enough: the Marx Bros. team up to help save a friend's business (in this case, a circus). The brothers are all in good form here, although they're mostly reworking old shtick. The scene in the midget's room is my favorite part. The obligatory lukewarm romance this time is supplied by Florence Rice and wall-eyed tenor Kenny Baker. The two also sing a couple of the movie's forgettable Arlen-Harburg tunes. The only good song in this is also one of the movie's highlights, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," as performed by Groucho. A big plus in this movie's favor is the good supporting cast backing up the Marxes, including Nat Pendleton (in a Harpo wig), James Burke, Eve Arden, and the always fun Margaret Dumont. It's an enjoyable movie if one lowers expectations and doesn't expect something on par with Duck Soup or A Night at the Opera.

The Marx Brothers themselves are a maniacal circus, so it is only fitting that they would be the stars of the MGM feature "At the Circus", and for a latter-day Marx Bros. film, this one is very good, in my opinion. Groucho as usual is uninhibited with wordplay, sexual innuendo, and insults for his consistent foil Margaret Dumont (but try not to be distracted by Groucho's awful hairpiece). Bearing the snazzy name of J. Cheever Loophole, Groucho supposedly portrays an attorney hired to help a traveling circus recover its stolen income. As circus employees, Harpo and Chico are allotted plenty of opportunities to apply their unique brands of comedy. And the two romantic leads, played by Kenny Baker (as Jeff Wilson, circus owner) and Florence Rice (as Julie Randall, performer) are very likable, except for that really corny musical number called "Two Blind Loves" that they sing together ("Step Up and Take a Bow" is considerably better). The rest of the cast, like the circus itself, is quite colorful.Probably the greatest highlight of "At the Circus" is Groucho's vocalizing one of his most beloved standbys for the remainder of his career: "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"! As you listen to Groucho (as Mr. Loophole) sing the tune, notice how everyone else around him (particularly Harpo) joins in the barrel of fun. Other highlights: Did I just say "barrel"? Well, Chico (as Antonio "Tony" Ferrelli) provides his one-of-a-kind ivory-tickling rendition of the Beer Belly, er, the Beer Barrel Polka, complete with his hard-to-resist smile and wink to the camera. (It amazes me that Chico was able to smile at all, what with the enormous wads of cash he blew away with his compulsive gambling.) Punchy (Harpo) plays checkers while a friendly seal "coaches" him. Loophole and Antonio go through a badge bit at the train station, during which the puns & horseplay never stop. While Loophole is trying to trap a cigar-smoking little person into a confession, Antonio is too dimwitted to realize that he is bungling Loophole's plan. The wild rope/trapeze chase at the end (to the musical accompaniment of "Tiger Rag") is hilarious, particularly with Gibraltar the gorilla starting the whole commotion. And although African-Americans today would be outraged seeing people of their race degrading themselves in this film, I must admit that "Swingali" is not a bad jazz number.A few gags in "At the Circus" don't really work, particularly the lengthy sequence of Tony and Punchy searching a bedroom belonging to an arrogant muscle man, but not to worry. For anybody who enjoys a good circus, this Marx Bros. film is a special treat, as sweet as the lemonade we might sip with all the popcorn.