Duck Soup (1933)

Marx brothers movies are okay. They're silly but don't have any substance. This movie is like a live action Looney Tunes cartoon.

The movie starts out with the government of Freedonia begging Mrs. Teasdale for her inheritance money and she agrees only if a new leader is appointed. She chooses Rufus T. Firefly, played by Groucho Marx. And then not more than 5 minutes later, they start singing! I had no idea this was going to be a musical. Firefly is late to his own party, so he quickly jumps out of bed and slides down a firepole to the castle floor below. Now I've never been to an actual castle, but I can see why they would have firepoles. It must be tiring walking up and down all those stone steps in the towers all day.

The best part is Firefly's quick-firing jokes and one-liners. He says them so fast sometimes you have to rewind it to catch what he says. He has plenty of fat jokes, dirty jokes, and puns. “If you can't leave in a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If you can't leave in a huff, you can leave in a minute and a huff.”

I don't understand why Firefly has such big bushy eyebrows and mustache. They don't even look real. They look painted on with black makeup.

The spies, Chicolini and Pinky, are also played by Marx brothers. Pinky is silent but funny. He whips out a mousetrap, a blowtorch (just to light his cigar), a record, and a gun to shoot the record all from his jacket. And why is he always cutting things with his scissors? What is his problem?

No matter how hard they try, eventually their country goes to war. This of course leads to more singing. I'm giving this film a 6/10 for being silly.

On second thought, let's not go to Freedonia. Tis a silly place.