There is very good reason why Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are widely considered comedy geniuses and one of the most highly regarded comedy duos there is/was. They were often hilarious and their humour was never too juvenile and never fell into distaste. There is also very good reason as to why their partnership is iconic. Most of their efforts, shorts and feature films, ranged from entertaining to classic comedy. Even their lesser efforts were not unwatchable and had their good parts.
While 'The Flying Deuces' is a long way from being one of Laurel and Hardy's all-time best and from being a classic, it is still very enjoyable and one of their better faring later films before their decline period, even with its faults. Would not recommend it as a must watch as far their filmography and comedy goes, but would definitely recommend it as well worth the look.
It is not one of their better-looking films, with some it being particularly crudely edited. Some of it is on the corny side in terms of humour and could have done with a little more wit.
Story-wise, this aspect always was fairly slight or not much of one in their short and feature films. 'The Flying Deuces' is not an exception and there are a few slow stretches. Hardy perhaps is a little too simpering here, it suits the plot but it is somewhat out of character for him.
For all those faults, the duo are on top form. They are immensely charming with impeccable comic timing, with plenty of sly verbal wit and nimble physical comedy. There is even a gentle quality to some of the humour and it does make it quite endearing to watch. They work so well as a partnership too, they gel so well and it is not a case of one being more interesting and better used than the other like a lot of their early efforts pre-'Two Tars' were. James Finlayson and Charles Middleton are the supporting cast standouts and Jean Parker is a charmer as the love interest.
Many funny moments here, with one of the better and funnier opening scenes of their later films and a deliciously wild ending. The jail and harp scenes are also terrific fun and the dance sequence is light and endearing. Although with slow stretches, there is evidence of a lively pace and the story does not overly focus on the romance, which was sweet and didn't bog the film down (this was something that was a problem in 'Swiss Miss', a lesser effort, for instance). The odd surprisingly dark moment as well.
On the whole, well worth watching and enjoyable. The duo though have done better. 7/10 Bethany Cox
While 'The Flying Deuces' is a long way from being one of Laurel and Hardy's all-time best and from being a classic, it is still very enjoyable and one of their better faring later films before their decline period, even with its faults. Would not recommend it as a must watch as far their filmography and comedy goes, but would definitely recommend it as well worth the look.
It is not one of their better-looking films, with some it being particularly crudely edited. Some of it is on the corny side in terms of humour and could have done with a little more wit.
Story-wise, this aspect always was fairly slight or not much of one in their short and feature films. 'The Flying Deuces' is not an exception and there are a few slow stretches. Hardy perhaps is a little too simpering here, it suits the plot but it is somewhat out of character for him.
For all those faults, the duo are on top form. They are immensely charming with impeccable comic timing, with plenty of sly verbal wit and nimble physical comedy. There is even a gentle quality to some of the humour and it does make it quite endearing to watch. They work so well as a partnership too, they gel so well and it is not a case of one being more interesting and better used than the other like a lot of their early efforts pre-'Two Tars' were. James Finlayson and Charles Middleton are the supporting cast standouts and Jean Parker is a charmer as the love interest.
Many funny moments here, with one of the better and funnier opening scenes of their later films and a deliciously wild ending. The jail and harp scenes are also terrific fun and the dance sequence is light and endearing. Although with slow stretches, there is evidence of a lively pace and the story does not overly focus on the romance, which was sweet and didn't bog the film down (this was something that was a problem in 'Swiss Miss', a lesser effort, for instance). The odd surprisingly dark moment as well.
On the whole, well worth watching and enjoyable. The duo though have done better. 7/10 Bethany Cox