Starring The Marx Brothers
Produced by Paramount Pictures
The Marx Brothers stow away on an ocean liner.
Hilarity ensues.
Do you really need more plot?
Okay, now I get The Marx Brothers. Sort of.
For most of its runtime, Monkey Business has no real plot except for allowing the comedy troupe to run amok on a cruise ship. The sheer anarchy they represent within the ordered world of this boat is loaded with potential humor and the characters mine every bit of it.
For half the movie, we basically get a series of skits involving the characters trying to outwit the crew and passengers of the ship. Groucho fast talks his way into the captain's quarters with Chico and manages to get dinner before being chased out. Harpo hides within a puppet show and almost fools the captain into believing he's a wooden doll. Zeppo of course takes the opportunity to hit on the ladies on each deck when he's not outrunning security. It's each of the brothers being put to their best use without ever overstaying their welcome.
There's an energy to the action that keeps the film moving. Unlike the static shots that marked the previous Marx films, the camera here is every bit as fidgety as the brothers. The director doesn't simply shoot the action; he maximizes the humor of each scene.
Where the movie fumbles is when the script decides it should focus on a plot. Once we introduce a mob boss plot, you can almost here the film let out an exasperated sigh and mutter "Fun's over, guys. The studio execs just showed up."
That's not to say there's no fun to be had during Monkey Business' second half. It's just that the breakneck pace slows to a crawl and the jokes are fewer and less funny.
All in all, this is the best realization of the potential demonstrated by the hijinks of the Marx Brothers. I really wish the story would stop getting in their way.
***1/2 out of *****
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