Close Relations

Close Relations (1933)

*** (out of 4)

Released after the death of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, this comedy features him playing a man named Wilbur Wart who is invited by his rich uncle (Charles Judels) to stay the weekend. Once there he hopes to get in good for the will but Harry Wart (Harry Shannon) is also there and wants in on the action. This here was the fourth of six films that Arbuckle made for Vitaphone and it's certainly the best up to this point. There are a great number of laughs but the film is also a great throwback to the silent era when mistaken identity was something that could lead to many wonderful gags and especially many physical ones. The film manages to be quite funny from start to finish thanks in large part to the cast. Arbuckle really is at the top of his game here as he manages to be that charming person everyone loves but his physical side is also on full display. There are many moments where he's falling down or getting tripped up and it's rather amazing to see how well he could handle this at this point in his career. Shannon was also very good in his supporting bit and managed to have a great chemistry with Arbuckle. Judels is perfect as the uncle and even Mildred Van Dorn is good as the nurse. Look fast for Shemp Howard playing a "Mole." The running joke about "Warts" and "Moles" are a bit weird to say the least but they still manage to get a couple nice laughs. I'm not going to ruin the ending for anyone but it too is a winner. Fans of Arbuckle will certainly want to check this one out.