William Haines plays an obnoxious jerk who manages to take all the positive feelings towards him and fritter it all away. While he plays a very talented man, he is so arrogant that everyone wants to see him fail. Ultimately, Haines is responsible for his own "comeuppance" and it is then up to a humbler Haines to prove that down deep he's a great guy.
Had I never seen William Haines' film, BROWN OF HARVARD or WESTPOINT or several other Haines vehicles, then I probably would have enjoyed THE SMART SET much more. That's because THE SMART SET is basically the same exact plot, but this time set on the polo fields instead. So, not only do we have the same basic plot involving the arrogant young athlete (Haines), but MGM managed to find sports significantly less entertaining than football and crew. Think about it....who would be particularly interested in polo or the rich folks who love this "sport"? Fortunately, THE SMART SET wasn't all that popular--otherwise Haines might have then gone on to make a film about curling or badminton--about the only sports I can think of less interesting than polo!
Additionally, while the print just shown on Turner Classic Movies is as close to pristine as I've seen in a while for a silent film, the movie itself also suffers from writing that is several notches below BROWN OF HARVARD. This is mostly due to Haines' character being so awful that the audience is left hating him--even when he, according to formula, makes good. He was hatefully obnoxious--so much that it's impossible to understand how ANY woman could have fallen for him. He laughs at his own jokes, believes he is god's gift to mankind and is thoroughly boorish.
So, overall, this is a slightly better than average and formulaic film that will surely impress those who love and live for polo....all three of them!
Had I never seen William Haines' film, BROWN OF HARVARD or WESTPOINT or several other Haines vehicles, then I probably would have enjoyed THE SMART SET much more. That's because THE SMART SET is basically the same exact plot, but this time set on the polo fields instead. So, not only do we have the same basic plot involving the arrogant young athlete (Haines), but MGM managed to find sports significantly less entertaining than football and crew. Think about it....who would be particularly interested in polo or the rich folks who love this "sport"? Fortunately, THE SMART SET wasn't all that popular--otherwise Haines might have then gone on to make a film about curling or badminton--about the only sports I can think of less interesting than polo!
Additionally, while the print just shown on Turner Classic Movies is as close to pristine as I've seen in a while for a silent film, the movie itself also suffers from writing that is several notches below BROWN OF HARVARD. This is mostly due to Haines' character being so awful that the audience is left hating him--even when he, according to formula, makes good. He was hatefully obnoxious--so much that it's impossible to understand how ANY woman could have fallen for him. He laughs at his own jokes, believes he is god's gift to mankind and is thoroughly boorish.
So, overall, this is a slightly better than average and formulaic film that will surely impress those who love and live for polo....all three of them!