Just so...so bad

It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Copyright 18 January 1927 by The Harold Lloyd Corporation (general manager: William R. Fraser). Released through Paramount: 22 January 1927. New York opening at the Rialto: 23 January 1927. 7,654 feet. 83 minutes. NOTES: Locations filmed on Catalina Island and near Alacentia, California.SYNOPSIS: Unusually for a Lloyd movie, there is only one sarcastic sub-title. Significantly, it's the card that introduces the title character himself: The runt of the litter, this kid brother was delivered by a stork that was laughing so heartily it could hardly fly.COMMENT: One of the best films ever made, The Kid Brother is a wonderful movie that has everything: beautiful direction, inventive photography, an engrossing plot, superb acting and out-of-the-box production values. (And thanks to Carl Davis, it now has a heart-tapping music score as well). To quote from a few of the many enlightened contemporary reviews. The critic for The New York Herald Tribune made the sage comment that "Mr Lloyd never repeats himself. This movie is filled with more things than are dreamt of in your philosophy..." Variety noted that "Lloyd is somewhat different in this picture, yet it is about as gaggy a gag picture as he has ever done. Jobyna Ralston also handles herself perfectly, while Walter James has a chance to show what he can do in a major part and acquits himself with honors." The Film Daily agreed that "the Lloyd comedies are always dependably original. Lloyd and his gag-men have again devised a corking set of comedy situations that fit consistently into a well-joined plot with the result that the laughs keep building from little chuckles to hilarious roars." What I like about this enchanting movie is that it's not only uproariously funny, but supremely beautiful to watch. Like all really good films, it's one that can be enjoyed, savored and appreciated time and time again with absolutely no lessening of its total enthrallment. When asked to name his best film, Lloyd once replied, "That's something for the critics. But my favorite film? The Kid Brother." AVAILABLE on DVD through New Line. Quality rating: Ten out of ten.

Mary took over the Prof. Powers Original Mammoth Medicine Show after her father Prof. Powers' death. She arrives in Hickoryville with her con-man workers Farrell and Sandoni. Sheriff Jim Hickorys has two tough manly sons Leo and Olin. Then there is the youngest son Harold (Harold Lloyd) who was born on April Fool's Day. Hank Hooper hates the weakling Harold. Mary mistakes Harold for the Sheriff. The town places money for the dam with the real Sheriff. Harold tries to shut down the medicine show but ends up burning it down. Farrell and Sandoni decide to steal the dam money.This is compelling story with romance and slapstick comedy and drama. There are no building climbing or any big stunts from Harold Lloyd. He's doing smaller stunts with a focus on the slapstick comedy. This is interesting from start to finish. And who doesn't love a monkey?

I kept thinking how he deserves recognition as one of the great silent comedians alongside Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin--especially with his wonderful work in the well-crafted THE KID BROTHER.The simple plot has him as the youngest and rather nerdy kid brother with his two strapping brothers towering over him as the apple of their father's eyes. Whenver something has to be done, he's left out of the picture while his father assigns his brothers to the task.But the funniest scenes have to do with him trying to outwit and pull fast tricks on his brothers in a series of sight gags. They're perfectly willing to bully him whenever a show of muscle is involved--particularly when impressing a girl they all have a yen for.There are too many sight gags to enumerate here and they all involve physical dexterity and timing of the highest order. A particularly demanding set of stunts are performed in the latter half of the story when our hero must board a ghost ship to retrieve money his father has been accused of stealing. The scenes involve a monkey in a sailor suit and a vicious villain out for the kill in keeping hold on stolen money.All of it is photographed with great style and there's an emotional attachment to the romantic angle involving the girl (JOBYNA RALSTON) so that the hectic comedy is anchored by a story that keeps the comedy on firm ground.Summing up: A delightful physical comedy, wonderfully photographed and played by an excellent cast, with Lloyd at his all-time best. In my opinion, this one tops SAFETY FIRST.

Arguably Harold Lloyd's greatest film, made contemporaneously with Buster Keaton's equivalent, THE GENERAL (1927); interestingly, while the former was a box-office hit, the latter's reception was more lukewarm - its reputation having been cemented (indeed vindicated) with time; ultimately, while THE KID BROTHER may lack the scope of Keaton's masterwork, it's no less meticulously crafted or well filmed. Still, it's not quite as renowned as other Lloyds - such as SAFETY LAST! (1923) or THE FRESHMAN (1925) - which actually makes its discovery as an unequivocal gem, not only in the pantheon of comedy but among the finest productions of the Silent era, all the more sweeter! The plot was admittedly borrowed from the famous Silent melodrama TOL'ABLE David (1921) - which I've never watched myself - but, like THE GENERAL, it seamlessly mingles dazzling comic invention with a serious (a sure indication of this is the fact that it dispenses entirely with Lloyd's typically sarcastic title cards), compelling and exciting plot line; in this case, Harold (again, like Keaton's rejected soldier) has to prove he's the equal of his stalwart family by standing up to the villain - a sinister-looking medicine-show strongman - and recover a cache of stolen money, thus righting a wrong done his father (largely at the instigation of his eternal rival - the long-lasting family feud had also been utilized by Keaton for one of his most beautiful films, OUR HOSPITALITY [1923]).It's quite futile to mention individual gags from the film because it has a plethora of them, all being incredibly clever (apart from hilarious) and are milked for all they're worth - generally so as to play up to the resourcefulness of our hero. As a matter of fact, the film rarely pauses for breath between one set-piece and the next - while the last half-hour (largely confined to an offshore boat) is thrillingly packed with intense action and suspense, as it speeds towards a happy resolution of all its various plot strands. Jobyna Ralston is once again Lloyd's leading lady here; actually, this proved to be their last collaboration.I've failed to mention before now the invaluable contribution which the scores by either Carl Davis or Robert Israel have contributed to these Silent films, but Davis' sterling work here (composed for Kevin Brownlow's Photoplay re-issue of 1990) is particularly effective. By the way, the film was started by Lewis Milestone but had to step down from the director's chair due to a contractual dispute; it was taken over by Ted Wilde but even he was replaced (by J.A. Howe) at some later point after he was struck by an illness; this led to the film's shooting schedule extending to a six-month period - but all these various calamities, thankfully, didn't affect the ultimate quality of THE KID BROTHER one bit! P.S. The film was partly shot on the spot where Forest Lawn cemetery (where many a Hollywood star is buried) was eventually built - and which happens to be located near the Universal studio offices that host the New York Film Academy classes I attended last year!