The greatest movie ever!

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely brilliant

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

"Neighbors" is a 18-minute short film from 95 years ago. The star here is silent film legend Buster Keaton and his co-stars are people he regularly worked with like Virginia Fox and Joe Roberts. These two are prime examples of people who did not make the transition to the sound era. Fox was only 17 when this was made and her career was over by when she was 20. Also on board is Keaton's father, who also plays his father in this movie. And finally we have Edward F. Cline who wrote and directed this film together with Stoneface and plays a police officer in here. It's a black-and-white film and a silent movie of course still. It has intertitles, however, for example the funny one about marriage. It's a bit of a comedic approach to the famous Romeo & Juliet idea, but unfortunately none of the comedy was really funny I must say. Certainly not among Buster's best works. Watch something else from him instead.

Neighbors (1920) *** (out of 4) Buster Keaton does the Romeo and Juliet storyline as he falls in love with his neighbor but it'll be hard to get married since the families hate one another. There are plenty of good gags here including the human fly swatter gag and the stuff dealing with Keaton trying to avoid the police. Keaton also delivers one of his best stunts and three people on one another's shoulders try and walk from house to house with Keaton being three stories up.Available on Kino's The Art of Buster Keaton Collection, which is one of the greatest box sets out there.

This is one of the few short films that was understated on the back on the DVD. Usually they make it sound better than it often winds up. Despite little buildup, this was tremendous fun for 18 minutes.The very beginning is very innocent as Harold and Virginia Fox exchange love notes through a peephole in a fence that divides their family's tenement properties. Quickly, the parents of each come out, intercept the messages, disapprove, meddle further and then get involved in one wild and crazy scene after another. Featured are some terrific stunts and just general madness and mayhem with one funny sight gag after another. This is so frenetic that it has to be seen, not read about. Just be ready for a wild ride of feuding neighbors and cops. It does calm down for a minute or two when a judge makes the parents sign a "peace treaty." Harold then announces he and Virginia are going to get married.....and they try to do that but, a combination of pants that won't stay up (don't ask) and Virginia's father, Big Joe Roberts, break that up. Now we go back to slapstick and clever scenes as Buster's friends help get his girl back. It's another crazy finish, albeit a short one.It's very inventive stuff and one of Harold's best. It is an extra on the "Seven Chances" DVD. Note: Playing Buster's dad in here was his real-life father, Joe Keaton.

"Neighbors" is a very entertaining Buster Keaton short comedy featuring some hilarious slapstick and some good stunts. It takes place in a tenement complex, with Buster and Virginia Fox playing young lovers who live in buildings separated by a wooden fence. Their families don't like each other, and do what they can to undermine the romance, but without success. It's very funny right from the beginning, with Buster and Virginia slipping love notes through a knothole in the fence, and having them intercepted by one parent after another. There are lots of slapstick antics, and one of the funniest wedding scenes you will see. There are also some good stunts and brief chase scenes - in other words, a little bit of everything that Keaton was known for. It would probably be best appreciated by those who are already fans, but if you enjoy Keaton, don't miss this one.