Life Hesitates at 40 (1935)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Charley Chase goes to see a doctor (James Finlayson) because he's suffering from some strange medical condition where everything around him stands still and then he begins to hear made-up conversations with people. This fake conversations lead him to a woman's house where her boyfriend isn't too fond to see him there. I've seen quite a few Chase films and this one here is without question one of the strangest. I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on the film but while it isn't a complete success I do feel there were enough big laughs to make it worth sitting through. When the time "stands still" all that basically happens is the screen freezes while the dialogue between the characters continue. This method looks incredibly cheap and silly but it often leads to some big laughs. One such occasion is when Chase wins a gun and his girl's ex-boyfriend calls him yellow during one of these spells. This leads to a big fight with Chase making a complete fool of himself. Another highlight is the sequence where Chase shows up at the woman's house and she doesn't even know who he is. Chase is in good form and works well with Joyce Compton. Finlayson doesn't get that good of a role but it's always nice seeing him. Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer quickly appears during one scene.
