The Hoodlum

Despite the rather reckless-sounding title, the Mary Pickford feature "The Hoodlum" is actually an entertaining and thoughtful movie that resembles many of her other films, with a few touches that make it different and worthwhile. The story-line is a bit too far-fetched on some occasions, but otherwise the movie works very well.

Pickford gets to play the kind of high-spirited but innocent character at which she excels, and she makes full use of the material. After her character moves in with her father, some of the scenes of her transformation are quite amusing. Pickford had the rare ability to bring out a character's yearning for change and desire for experimentation without making the character come across as self-righteous or rebellious.

The production and the rest of the cast are solid, but it's mostly Mary's show, and she pulls everything together. Her interactions with her grandfather are nicely done on both ends, and add some real substance to a movie that was already entertaining. The settings are believable, and especially so in the slum neighborhood. The story is relatively simple (if implausible at times), but it is thoughtful and worthwhile.