Pure anarchic brilliance. HAIL FREEDONIA!

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 1999)

I just want to start by saying I never understood the debate between whether this or "A Night at the Opera" is better. How can anyone say "Opera" is better than this? How many unnecessary musical interludes did that one have? "Duck Soup" is a pure hit of undiluted Marx Brothers madness. It deservedly holds a place among the finest comedies of our time, even if only for the brilliant one liners the script keeps handing Groucho. But of course, there's also Harpo and Chico in their peanut stand routine. All three of them in the immortalized mirror sequence. In addition, this is one of the few movies that actually gives Zeppo something to do (not that it really helps the picture, but hey, I'm just trying to be nice.) And of course, Magaret Dumont, whose flustered manner has become shorthand at my house for pointing out the pomposity of our social betters. MIS-ter Hammer, indeed. (So it's from The Cocoanuts. So what.) How many classic lines could I steal from this movie? More than would fit in 1000 words, I can tell you that. One of my favorites- "Pick a card." "What'll I do with it?" "You can keep it, I've got fifty-one more." This movie only wants to entertain you, and it will DO so, regardless of whether or not you want it to. Woody Allen found a reason to live in watching "Duck Soup" in "Hannah and Her Sisters," and I think that just about sums up the importance of this movie. Nonstop comedy from start to finish, courtesy of four of the undisputed masters of vaudeville. It's the kind of movie you should watch at least once a year, if only to remind you of what comedy should be. An absolute joy.