While I was able to watch this film without throwing something at the TV screen, it was tough going for me since I am a HUGE fan of Harold Lloyd. For those who don't know much about Lloyd, though, I am sure the film is probably more watchable because expectations aren't nearly as high as mine were. When I think of Lloyd, I know he was one of the most brilliant comedians of all-time and produced some fabulous silent and talking films. Because of this, I could see just how far below average this film was for the actor.
Quite frankly, in many places the film is just bad. The worst problem was the beginning of the movie where the final super-important football game from Lloyd's silent classic, THE FRESHMAN, was replayed. That's because at the end of the THE FRESHMAN, Harold was a hero and the film ended so perfectly. But, in MAD Wednesday, it picks up from here and shows that Harold's moment in the sun was brief and all too quickly, we see him as a pathetic washed-up has-been! This is just awful and seems to destroy that wonderful and wholesome character. How could Mr. Lloyd have allowed the writers to have done this to his once-great character?! This made the character not so much sympathetic (like "Speedy" originally was), but just pathetic.
Also, at times, the jokes were very, very broad and bad. The worst was when Harold drank alcohol, he let out a very stupid and embarrassingly bad yell that was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. And to do it again and again was just beating a dead horse. I have long been critical of Preston Sturges, despite the generally high acclaim he's received. While I did enjoy a few of his films, such as HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO, I also disliked many because his sense of timing was, at times, just awful--beating jokes half to death. Sublety was NOT a trademark of his work! Some prime examples are the laughing scene towards the end of SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS and the fumbling sequence from UNFAITHFULLY YOURS--two well-received films that could have used some editing to allow the scenes to seem more realistic and less "sledgehammer symbolism". And this is sad, because for Harold Lloyd, his subtlety was so much of what made him a genius. The combination of Lloyd and Sturges was terrible--especially when the building climbing scenes from Lloyd's SAFETY LAST (a brilliant film) are terribly redone--with rotten camera-work that was so obviously fake and a lion added for god knows what reason!
For Harold Lloyd fans, this is a painful to watch and completely unnecessary film. While the main plot idea of Harold getting drunk and doing some amazing things to strike it rich in the process was a good basis for a film, the rest of the film was low-energy and sub-standard.
Quite frankly, in many places the film is just bad. The worst problem was the beginning of the movie where the final super-important football game from Lloyd's silent classic, THE FRESHMAN, was replayed. That's because at the end of the THE FRESHMAN, Harold was a hero and the film ended so perfectly. But, in MAD Wednesday, it picks up from here and shows that Harold's moment in the sun was brief and all too quickly, we see him as a pathetic washed-up has-been! This is just awful and seems to destroy that wonderful and wholesome character. How could Mr. Lloyd have allowed the writers to have done this to his once-great character?! This made the character not so much sympathetic (like "Speedy" originally was), but just pathetic.
Also, at times, the jokes were very, very broad and bad. The worst was when Harold drank alcohol, he let out a very stupid and embarrassingly bad yell that was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. And to do it again and again was just beating a dead horse. I have long been critical of Preston Sturges, despite the generally high acclaim he's received. While I did enjoy a few of his films, such as HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO, I also disliked many because his sense of timing was, at times, just awful--beating jokes half to death. Sublety was NOT a trademark of his work! Some prime examples are the laughing scene towards the end of SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS and the fumbling sequence from UNFAITHFULLY YOURS--two well-received films that could have used some editing to allow the scenes to seem more realistic and less "sledgehammer symbolism". And this is sad, because for Harold Lloyd, his subtlety was so much of what made him a genius. The combination of Lloyd and Sturges was terrible--especially when the building climbing scenes from Lloyd's SAFETY LAST (a brilliant film) are terribly redone--with rotten camera-work that was so obviously fake and a lion added for god knows what reason!
For Harold Lloyd fans, this is a painful to watch and completely unnecessary film. While the main plot idea of Harold getting drunk and doing some amazing things to strike it rich in the process was a good basis for a film, the rest of the film was low-energy and sub-standard.