Good movie,better for the parts than the whole

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2009)

The nations of Freedonia and Sylvania are at war,much of it due to the tempers of their leaders,chiefly Freedonia's Rufus t.Firefly(Groucho Marx,quotable as ever)and the Head ambassador of Sylvania,who are both fighting for the affections of the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale(Margaret DuMont,ever hapless as the high society foil to Marx's smart-talking everyman),and it is the main framing device of this madcap comedy that probably encapsulates much of what the brothers Marx were famous for,a melange of fast wit,pratfalls,sight gags and a healthy intersperse of music.
Director Leo McCarey must've figured he needn't do more than set the pace for all four brothers and let the action roll along. Clocking in at just over seventy minutes,this film seems like more of an excuse to patch together various sketches involving the Marxes,and for that this largely works. The actual larger storyline seems superfluous,even a little tedious,but then again I suppose that the screenwriters,director and stars intended to make something that was all at once ridiculous and potentially cumbersome,only to make it all unfold to a gleeful,fun-filled conclusion. This film is still very much worth the watch,and you might find it overall completely delightful as a complete product. I just felt like this film is a great assemblage of jokes and gags,strung together while a movie just happened to be occurring during it. Problems I might perceive aside,I still recommend this "Soup".