The Soup's A Little Thin For Me

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2001)

I enjoyed Duck Soup, no doubt about it. The feet in the lemonade stand made me laugh out loud, as did the ring and run doorbell scene, the multiple, Grouchos, the Groucho drawn on the vase, the people kicking their hind legs in the air in unison, the "he's not here / it's for you" routine, and several others.
Having said that...
The best comedy EVER? Wow, your sense of humor is different from mine. I know I laughed harder at almost all of the other Marx Bros movies. This one was the one I remembered as a disappointment as it tried so hard to lampoon musicals and instead generally just looked stupid doing so. Groucho's opening five or ten minutes were downright irritating to me and my wife, and she who had never seen the Marx Bros was surprised at how rarely she belly-laughed at the entire movie.
Others complained about the music in other MB movies... what about all the stupid parody songs in Duck Soup? They go on too long and they usually aren't very funny. I'd much rather hear Harpo show off than sit through another verse of "when the clock strikes 10." ...And if you're really looking for snort-milk-out-your-nose comedy, tried a much more recent film, of a play, called "Noises Off." Sometimes I have to stop the tape on this one, I'm laughing so hard. You might not enjoy it as much as I did, but Weekend At Bernie's also leaves me hurting for days. The Pink Panther movies have their moments, although like the Mark Bros they have "downtime" as well. For older movies, try some of the Abbott & Costello movies, especially Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein.
None of this suggests you shouldn't watch Marx Bros; you should. Nor am I saying you shouldn't watch Duck Soup; it has some excellent moments. Just don't write off the Marx Bros if it isn't The Funniest Movie You've Ever Seen... because I agree, and I think their other movies are better. Please see them before giving up on this talented team.