Duck Soup (1933)

Duck Soup (1933)

3/10

Starring

Groucho Marx

Harpo Marx

Chico Marx

Zeppo Marx

Margaret Dumont

Directed by Leo McCarey

Is normal not to get some movies and Duck Soup falls into that category for me. I understood the idea, but the comedy is not my type. I just didn’t find their outrageous silly performances funny. It was like watching Tom and Jerry on steroids, never knowing when the joke stopped being funny.

Even waiting for the mirror moment was an anti-climax because those who copied it, have done it better. I have never seen any movie from the Marx brothers and this was my first, and somehow my last.

The movie plot comes just as silly as the movie itself.

A country named Freedonia is being assisted constantly by a wealthy woman named Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont). When the country comes to her for aid again she decided to no longer assist them until they appoint Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) as the new leader.

At this point you are thinking there must be some next level resume that Firefly has to be given this privilege. Then we meet Firefly, he is as silly as they come. This is not the cute silly, but the mean spirited silliness that just makes you want to slap the writer of this movie.

Anyways, the neighboring country Sylvania wants to expand its territory to include Freedonia, so their ambassador is on a mission to wreck Freedonia. He tries to woo Mrs. Teasdale believing having her will stop the financial aid that Freedonia gets. He also is digging up dirt on Firefly by sending in spies Chicolini (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo). All these plans do not go well as the bumbling spies were themselves an obstacle and Firefly never actually had a hand on things.

When it comes to the acting and the directing of the movie, I was just not satisfied. I have seen other movies from the 1930s, but the editing in this one was just poor. In the end this movie has found a way to be come culturally significant. Which for me is setting the bar low, the movie also received recognition from the American film institute as one of the funniest movie to see.

Well, I do not wish anyone harm, but watching this movie made me want to dig out my eyes just from the boredom it delivered so I cannot in good faith recommend it.

The but is, if you find silly over the top over played and over exaggerated jokes as your thing, then maybe Duck Soup is for you. If you on the other hand like a good story with the comedy being the cherry on top, then Duck soup is not for you.