Ten Dollars or Ten Days

This is an early Ben Turpin comedy from Mack Sennett. While I have definitely seen better films from Turpin, this one is fun--though a tad uneven.

It begins with Turpin having some crazy dreams about cats and shooting himself (don't ask). Then Ben goes to work at an odd little department store where LOTS of random gags occur. Most fall a bit flat. However, things pick up a bit when Ben thinks he may have poisoned a co-worker he's sweet on--and he rushes to the rescue. She is NOT impressed nor is she impressed later when people think Ben robbed the store and killed someone. Here is where the film accelerates--getting much funnier and the stunts get a bit crazy. And, not surprisingly, in the end Ben is able to somehow save the day.

As I said, this film is uneven. It has a lot of laughs--but also many gags that simply aren't funny. Plus, the 1920s 'laugh' involving showing a black man getting scared is a pretty cheap plot device and is sure to offend many today. Well worth seeing if you love silent comedies, otherwise there are lots better silent comedies out there you should see first.