Highly OVERRATED
A few good jokes, that's all. This movie is boring. The poor Marx Bros look like they are trying so hard, it's painful to watch. One of their worst.
shareThat is an interesting opinion.
I just ate a whole pumpkin.
MovieChat Forums > Duck Soup (1933) Discussion > Highly OVERRATED
Agreed. A dated movie.
shareWhat a shame you don't "get it."
I was so lucky that I was college age when these films had a resurgence of popularity. They were always being screened at "revival" houses which were plentiful here in NYC back then (in the 70's).
You never heard an audience response to a comedy like those audiences did. Imagine 400 people roaring with laughter from beginning to end. It was amazing. Plus, I had seen these films several times on TV growing up, but seeing on the big screen made them seem like different films, like new films. I'm still in awe over that experience nearly 40 years later.
And you won't ever "get it."
I had the same experience with a college audience in Pittsburgh, early 80s!
i agree. I have seen 4 Marx films (Night at the Opera, Horse Feathers, A Day at the Races and Duck Soup) and this one is clearly the worst of them.
share" What's wrong with this opinion ?"
Better still, one should ask, " What's RIGHT with this opinion !!
Wow, it almost makes me sad that there are Marx Brothers fans out there who don't like this movie! I mean, this is them at their prime before MGM interfered and forced romance sideplots and musical numbers on them. Every scene in this film is an absolute inspired comedic gem.
~I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship~ LMA
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some of their others are worse though like go west or cocoanuts, but cocoanuts is funny at parts though. duck siup ws funny, but i liked a night at the opera and a night in casablanca.
Its's alive! It's alive!
... before MGM interfered and forced romance sideplots and musical numbers on them.The truth is a bit different.
The Brothers had been upset that Paramount wasn't investing enough in the production values of their films, and wasn't aggressively marketing them. They also felt that they weren't getting enough money, which was true. Chico regularly played cards with Thalberg, and they worked out a deal.
While Marx Brothers fans generally dislike the "side plots and musical numbers" of A Night at the Opera, the Brothers themselves thought it an improvement. The problem was when Thalberg died, sometime into the shooting of A Day at the Races, when they lost the protection they had against Louis B. Mayer.
As for the OP, I don't even want to react.
"Sometimes you have to take the bull by the tail, and face the truth" - G. Marx
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All I'm gonna say is if this movie were made today, everyone would hate it. And the way I believe films should be criticized individually is by how much a movie entertains said reviewer. And that doesn't include exceptions for an older film. However, how influential the film is a relevant question to ask but I regard "What is the most influential comedy of all time?" and "What is the greatest comedy of all time?" to be two different questions.
-Are these the Nazis, Walter?
-No, Donny, these men are nihilists, theres nothing to be afraid of.
I felt like I was really missing something when I watched this. There were a few funny scenes other than that it was frustrating more than anything. The thing that wouldn't stop bugging me throughout the film is that it's meant to be a sattire on war and politics and whilst in some aspects this is put across very well, overall it just doesn't work. It's too mixed up and disjointed.
Then again I'm not the smartest of viewers so maybe I'm just not understanding something.
I can definitley understand why it would be classified as an influential and groud-breaking film, however. A movie that blatantly ridicules political leaders and the absurdity of war would have been extremely controversial at the time.
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'the way I believe films should be criticized individually is by how much a movie entertains said reviewer.'
And I as a reviewer loved it, the timing of the mirror scene alone was excellent! I showed it to others and they laughed out loud. Not boring! It made the American Film Institute's list of the greatest comedies of all time.
That being said I have no problem with anyone disliking this film. Evrybody has different likes and dislikes.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
"And the way I believe films should be criticized individually is by how much a movie entertains said reviewer."
And that is why you don't understand nor do you know what film is. You must be one of those vain, lazy folks who see cinema as a businness rather than an art. Go away.
The room's a wreck, but her napkin is folded.
Christ you are so stuck up your own arse it makes me sick.
shareIt kind of astounds me that people who make a fuss about the romantic subplots and musical numbers and grumble about MGM's changes, seem to forget the romantic subplots and musical numbers in THE COCONUTS, their first feature.
As for DUCK SOUP, it really is one of the Brothers' very best, regardless of certain detractors' opinions. And I have to say, I think the production values are higher in it are higher than any of their other Paramount features. But, while the Marx Brothers might have been getting tired of Paramount, Paramount was also getting tired of them. If anything like what one hears of their behind-the-scenes adventures at MGM went on at Paramount... In any case, I think DUCK SOUP's box office troubles were primarily due to the world events surrounding its release and the fact that the movie is simply ahead of its time.
they forgeot coconuts altogether because that movie was as intresting as watching coconuts grow, unlike thier other movies like animal crackers or this one.
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"Common sense is not so common."
- Voltaire
Well, COCONUTS was very popular on Broadway and responsible for getting the Marx Brothers a film contract. But it comes as no surprise that the stage production suffered somewhat in translation to film. Still, it has it's moments, particularly Groucho and Chico's "Why a duck?" routine. Their later films as MGM are, in my opinion, far less entertaining than COCONUTS; in fact, in some cases, they're almost sad to behold.
shareI agree. Few good jokes and few interesting sequences, that's all. Considering other comedies made around the same time period or even earlier, this one has not aged well. The stupid plot does not make it any easier, I might add.
shareEye opening to see disparaging remarks about Duck Soup. Its one of those movies I could never imagine anyone panning. Same with, say, North By Northwest... but yep, look it up...some people hate it. Its like saying you dislike the Empire State Building.
Duck Soup seems so perfect in every way--casting, writing, direction, set design, music, timing. And as a satire on war and government it would be hard to argue that it feels dated.
Know any baseless wars declared lately, or any blind singing chorus/mobs that were happy to back it?
Somehow just saying a film is "stupid" and "boring" doesnt quite back up the criticism...I'd be interested to hear more.
Hmm...I wonder if I search through Classic Music sites if I'll find threads that say "Beethoven's 5th...OVERRATED".
It largely comes down to some folks simply not getting it. Some people need a plot; they need for things to make sense; they need order and stability. These are the people to which the Four Marx Brothers flipped the bird. Yes, the post-Paramount Marxes acquiesced for the sake of success (ironically, for MGM they turned their backs on "Ars Gratia Artis"), and some people prefer these watered-down Marxes.
You can tell a lot about a person by which Marxes they prefer. And, as I always say, when someone says that a film is "boring," it says a whole lot more about the person than it does about the film.
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Maybe not of a comedy, but of a movie...
shareThat is the thing, to make a funny movie you need a funny premise. That is what made the marx brothers so good is that the premise made no sense. I mean look at Monty Python and the Holy Grail! That movie is regarded as one of the best comedies of all time and it has NO plot whatsoever. Monty Python and the Holy Grail's plot was only an excuse to set up a bunch of skits, and that is what made it funny!
shareI got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it.
shareI have a sneaking suspicion, nah, let's just go ahead and call it what it is...a complete certainty that if the folks that don't like the movie got together for a few beers...and elsewhere so did the folks who did...well, I am sure the folks in the first group would have every justification for not having a good time together...and they'd be absolutely right.
The folks in the other group however... would probably be asking one another moronically as they laughed till they pissed themselves "What was that word you called me...I think it has seven letters...?"
And really couldn't give a s*** about the folks in the other group being right about anything.
I still think Tony DiNozzo Sr. is a spy/NCIS
This is one of those movies like Blazing Saddles or Monty Python & the Holy Grail where one funny line of dialogue follows instantly on the heels of another.
shareI seriously pity anyone who doesn't enjoy this film. It's like not liking sunsets.
As the person above said, this movie is one joke after the other. I've seen this movie dozens of times and I laugh at the same jokes and I find new jokes sometimes. There is so much comedy packed into this that each new viewing reveals a new joke. It's truly stunning and wonderful humor.
israelx7 - AWESOME analysis! I really don't give a s*** whether they are right or not!
shareZing!
I'm the smartest guy around: http://meonvarioustopics.blogspot.com
AGREE++
I have watched several Groucho Marx interviews and Skits and shows on TV. He is a VERY funny and witty man. his come-backs are fast and hilarious. (a real comic). So I was eager to watch Duck Soup. (it has been highly reviewed here on IMDb). Almost the entire movie I was waiting for something funny. but unfortunately, this movie fell very short! Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy etc are slapstick comedians too, but do it with much more elegance and style. But duck soup is just childish playground humour which wasn't even that funny. very repetitive. The ONLY scene that was remotely clever and humorous was the "mirror Scene". (which was original at the time of this movie, and I can see that this idea has been copied by several other comedians and movies since), but you can't expect ONE decent scene to prop up an entire movie.
People that rate this 10 out of 10 are most likely remembering watching it as a kid and remember the laughs they had. but I don't feel they are really reviewing this movie by todays standards. Other 1930's comedies (such as 'Bringing up Baby' or 'Modern Times') are in a different league.
I believe that if Groucho Marx had helped to write the script, the movie would have been far better.
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This movie kills me. It makes me laugh from start to finish, and it is just so SMART, in such a STUPID way. Or is it stupid in a smart way? Hard to tell. Ha. Either way, it is brilliance.
And someone here said it was dated...Ummm, one of my favourite things about it is that it seems so modern.
I get the feeling you're violating somebody's basic human rights here...
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The ONLY scene that was remotely clever and humorous was the "mirror Scene". (which was original at the time of this movie, and I can see that this idea has been copied by several other comedians and movies since), but you can't expect ONE decent scene to prop up an entire movie.
Check the FAQ section. The mirror gag goes all the way back to vaudeville and Chaplin is believed to be the first to perform it onscreen ("The Floorwalker," 1916).
People that rate this 10 out of 10 are most likely remembering watching it as a kid and remember the laughs they had. but I don't feel they are really reviewing this movie by todays standards.
Of course, you realize "Duck Soup" isn't just a comedy, it's a satire of a day and time, with all its politics, social unrest, etc., that was verging toward WWII?
I first watched the film in the '90's (when I was past thirty years of age) and thought it hilarious
Other 1930's comedies (such as 'Bringing up Baby' or 'Modern Times') are in a different league.
Is it okay if I like "Bringing up Baby," "Modern Times," Laurel & Hardy, etc., AND "Duck Soup?" I don't so much see those other comedy gems and comedians' films being "in a different league" from DS, as I do seeing it more of an apples-and-oranges kinda thing.
I believe that if Groucho Marx had helped to write the script, the movie would have been far better.
AFIAK, Grouch never wrote a screenplay or script, but he never needed to; he did just fine with adlibbing!
"Bringing Up Baby" is overrated. Hepburn's character is spoiled and annoying.
sharetodays standards for humor are far poorer than they used to be.
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