A much better production than the Marx Brothers' first effort, The Cocoanuts. You can tell more money was shelled out for this one. The sets are bigger, the decor is finer, and even the supporting cast is better (which isn't saying a lot, of course). The dancing chorus girls from The Cocoanuts were wisely done away with, and the musical numbers are given more motivation. Despite these improvements, though, Animal Crackers is simply not as funny as their first film. The movie seems slow for a Marx Brothers picture, with too much time given to the romantic leads and the flimsy story. Having been adapted from one of their Vaudeville shows, many of the comic bits drag on too long, or don't work as well as they would have on stage. Probably the best scene in the film is Chico's piano act in which Groucho and Harpo both get involved, but moments like these are few. Classic film buffs might enjoy seeing Lillian Roth as the heroine.
Review of Animal Crackers
