Block-Heads Movie Review

A Must See Comedy

The other week I got to go to a special greening of the Laurel and Hardy film, Block-Heads with a friend of mine. It was played on 35mm film, and it was a roaring good time. 

Block-Heads follows two WWI vets as one of them just realized the war is over 20 years late. The two friends reconnect.

Alright, my synopsis is a bit simplistic, but it works. I feel as though if I gave any more details I'd be treading into spoiler territory. The chemistry between Laurel and Hardy is amazing. The comedy had me laughing and smiling the entire time. On the more technical side of things, this was a solid film with the camera work, music, and directing.

It's hard to put into words explaining the joy I got from watching one of the great comedic duos on 35mm film the way it was meant to be shown. These two play off of each other so freaking well, they capture your attention from beginning to end. 

Each and every joke hit! Block-Heads is a comedy film without a dud in it. If by chance I'm wrong, it was something so small that everything else made up for it. Block-Heads is slapstick at it's finest. There's a rhythm to it, and the pacing of the jokes is spot on.

The music fits each scene perfectly. There is no bad choice in the score.  The cinematography is great, and the shots are done by competent cinematographers. The editing deserves to be praised as well. There are a few cuts that just make the scene in Block-Heads which play great into comedic timing. The director knew what they wanted out of this film, and they got it.

If you don't think you'd be up for an older comedy or just an older film in general, I would strongly recommend Block-Heads. I think this is one classic that will make you reconsider about older films. I could not have asked for a better time.

final score: 5/5