2. Animal Crackers
The Marx Brothers are without doubt comedic geniuses with each brother having their own specific strength to form a cohesive comedy tandem. Groucho, the de facto leader of the group, was known for his smart wit and dry one liners. Harpo has a Chaoplinesque quality combined with a childhood innocence that makes his mischievous smile all the more endearing. And then there is Chico whose persona as a immigrant who would do anything to make a quick buck becomes endearing to many of the viewers who come from similar situations. They are without a doubt classic comedians but a lot of their early film work struggle to live up to their brilliance. Animal Crackers is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. Yet, it is a very weak film in their filmography. The early Marx Brothers films were adaptations of their stage work. They would take their act on the road and build up enough material to fill a feature length movie. But, with that idea, the entire film feels staged like a theater show. That is a problem with a lot of early film work in the 1900s. But, the film medium has moved along way since then and Animal Crackers did not make the jump. In addition, The Marx Brothers were never known for their cohesive story. But, their better works such as Duck Soup succeeded based on its biting satire and A Night at the Opera actually found a plot. Animal Crackers fails to deliver that and the vignettes thus fall flat.