This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

So much average

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

(Flash Review)Odd little plot but the stunts are fantastic! Something about competing steamboat companies and then later a massive wind and rain storm hits and Keaton's character attempts to rescue random people as well as himself. The first two acts are pleasantly amusing but the final act is historic and the original Mickey Mouse's Steamboat Willy is based off of this film!! This has the scene where the storm blows down several houses. One of the walls fall toward Keaton but he luckily survives thanks to a cleverly placed open window. This has been mimicked to death everywhere. Crazy and sadly I learned that Keaton, in real life, was feeling very depressed and that he did the stunt because he didn't care whether the open window missed him as it was a full-weighted wall. In retrospect, he would never have done that stunt! Anyway, this is a must see. Very clever, exciting, funny and tense! Second only to The General.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. follows the likes of William Canfield, Sr. (Ernest Torrence), the owner and captain of a dilapidated boat he is itching to get back on the water. Canfield's only skeleton in his closet is that he has not seen his son since he was an infant, but is anxiously awaiting his return from college, hoping that his presumably-manly son will be able to help him construct an exceptional river-ride to compete with his businessman next door John King (Tom McGuire), who has just bought a luxurious new boat for himself. The arrival of Canfield's son is disappointing to him as his son turns out to be a scrawny, awkward kid equipped with a pencil mustache, a ukulele, and a beret. Also to his dismay is the fact that Canfield's kid is in love with Kitty King (Marion Byron), the daughter of John. Now, Canfield Sr. must find a way to get his wimpy son to help in out in his greatest time of need when it comes to fixing his boat, but also assisting him in weather a violent cyclone that's been a-brewing.Canfield Jr. is played by Buster Keaton, who really needs no introduction. Keaton is a marvelous actor, who can go from side-splitting comic relief to playing deeply tragic and emotionally-affecting in no time. With Steamboat Bill, Jr., he gives another performance that makes him worthy of placement amongst comedy greats of this era, from The Three Stooges, to Charlie Chaplin, to Harold Lloyd, to the Marx Brothers, to Laurel and Hardy, etc. He's an actor with impeccable timing and wit, and him playing a scrawny but not entirely hopeless underdog is a role that he fits perfectly.Keaton also isn't shy when it comes to finding ways to incorporate breakneck physical comedy into the picture. Consider the scene when Canfield Jr. is being pushed back and forth between his dad's boat and King's boat, each time running a bit more of a risk of falling into the small little crevasse of water between the two boats. The scene is hilarious and keeps one on the edge as if watching an argument taking place between two people right alongside a swimming pool. You know something is coming and the effect is had on you is surprisingly very stimulating.Another memorable scene possibly stands as Keaton's most famous scene of his career, taking place during the destructive cyclone. Keaton's Canfield Jr. is position in front of a home when the front wall of his house falls, ostensibly about the crush him, until we see that Canfield Jr. is in the setup's only safe position, which is where the wall's window is placed. This scene was famously unrehearsed, due to Keaton's trust of his special effects team and his lack of interest in wasting a perfectly good wall.Directed by Charles Reisner, the man responsible for bringing us Chaplin's The Kid just a few years prior, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is also regarded as one of Keaton's best pieces of work, although initially a box office bomb and subject to a critical divide. Because Keaton was independently financing all of his films up until this point, Steamboat Bill, Jr.'s failure was a crushing blow to the director's ego and pocketbook, which tempted him to sign on with MGM to get a heavy studio salary along with more exposure and stronger odds on a successful box office performance. Despite the warnings from his contemporaries and good friends such as Chaplin and Lloyd, Keaton, out of financial desperation, signed on with MGM in a move he'd later regard as one of the worst decisions of his life, as his creative control and personal say in projects was hugely compromised. Viewing Steamboat Bill, Jr. now is a sweet experience, but one can't help but shake their head in sadness for what it entailed for its star, who probably couldn't foresee the legacy he would leave on cinema as a whole.Starring: Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Tom McGuire, and Marion Byron. Directed by: Charles Reisner.

Mississippi steamboat owner Ernest Torrence (as William "Steamboat Bill" Canfield) hopes the arrival of his son will help him compete with rival Tom McGuire (as John James "J.J." King). He expects a big, tough guy, but Boston college student Buster Keaton (William "Willie" Canfield Jr.) turns out to be an awkward and unassuming young man. He knows little about steamboats and becomes friendly with competitor McGuire's fetching daughter Marion Byron (as "Kitty" King)...How strange to read this was not a success for Mr. Keaton and company, consequently becoming the classic comedian's last independent feature. There is free advertising for MGM films herein, so perhaps Keaton's new studio deal was already in the offing. Plainly visible are posters promoting "The Boob" starring George K. Arthur and "The Temptress" starring Greta Garbo. As I post this, only "The Boob" is noted in the IMDb "connections" section. I'm not very good at editing, so hopefully someone will read this and add the Garbo film (it's on the fence door, to the right of "The Boob")...Like many feature films made for comedians of stature, "Steamboat Bill Jr." strings together some revisions of tried and true routines, in a flimsy plot. The story and romantic subplot herein are not superlative, but the bits are assembled well, with nothing too strained. Keaton is still at the peak of his physical comedy and Mr. Torrence contributes grand support. The stormy climax and tremendous, and includes one of Keaton's best moments - you'll know it when you see it. And, you mustn't blink.********* Steamboat Bill, Jr. (5/12/28) Charles Reisner ~ Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, Tom McGuire

After watching Steamboat Bill, Jr. the only word you can think about is - amazing. After the week you'll think, what was the film about, but you never cant forget those magnificent stunts performed by Buster Keaton. Steamboat Bill, Jr. was the first ever Buster Keaton movie I saw. I'm usually quite skeptical when I decide to watch silent film. Only silent before Bill I had seen was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I liked that one also. But I'm afraid silent films might be too boring and they are out dated too much. But Steamboat Bill, Jr. managed to convince me that they are not boring at all (at least Buster Keaton's movies). Now I feel that I have to go through all the Buster's movies.The film starts bit slow but with the scene in the hat shop where Buster plays straight into the camera the film starts building the pace until the extreme climax in the storm. Brilliantly timed stunts that you can't see in the modern cinema anymore (unfortunately), heartwarming father- son relationship and comedy. And the stunts amazed me the most. You can watch all the modern action films but all you can see is CGI. Steamboat Bill, Jr. is all in flesh. And when you think all those neck breaking stunts Buster performed you never want to see any Transformers or Resident Evil ever.Steamboat Bill, Jr. is really the film that changed my life. It did something to me that only Jackie Chan has managed to do before.