Save your money for something good and enjoyable

As Good As It Gets

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Buster Keaton, one of silent cinemas finest and also most damn crazy, the guy nearly kills himself in nearly every film he's ever in. Steamboat Bill Jr. is no exception to Keaton's insane stunts and the skill in which he does them is amazing, stunt doubles today should be using this guy's ways, he is impeccable. Listen I'm not going to write this and say this movie had a good story, the thing basically throws it's story around a lot but it was only after finishing this that I realised just how fantastic the things going on in this were though, superbly directed but even more so, excellent acting from the main man Keaton.The plot see's a steamboat captain named Bill sent his son William, or Bill Jr. (Keaton). The story then see's him trying to change Junior Bill into a worthy crew member, but Bill Jr. has his eyes on the rival boat captains daughter. The story really picks up as soon as Bill Jr. goes after the girl, it can't be said the beginning is particularly exciting or anything but still Keaton holds his own and makes some of the duller moments a little more exciting. Keaton plays Bill Jr. in such a way where he feels stupid, but at times he can really stand up and surprise others, even in such a short film the character is already one you like in the first 20 minutes. Charles Reisner and an uncredited Buster Keaton were the directors behind this, they both make this what it is, a great movie. It maybe as said before takes a little time to get into a flow of things but both Reisner and Keaton even more so make the film's ending superb, the stunts, the weather and even just the way the sets are built are just sublime, and very costly too. You can't say much about this without yet again mentioning those stunts, I won't go too into them as there's just so many but the tree stunt, the hospital bed, the bread and of course the most famous, the window stunt (which is so stupid that it is perfect) are very well done.If you're not too accustom to Keaton then you may find the lack of story fairly annoying but this manages to bypass the plot a little and really inject all of its energy into the way it flows. Keaton doesn't need long sequences of dialogue to create his plot; he only needs the odd word and then his signature style of insanity. It's maybe also in my opinion a little slower paced than some of his others but all in all this is fun and doesn't need to go super quick, it feels the right length, too long and it would have become boring, too short and you miss out all of the awesome acrobatics the little guy pulls off.So overall this is considered a masterpiece, wouldn't quite agree but I see why it is for sure. If you're looking for a silent movie this is very recommendable, really good fun all round for the whole family, it actually has really quite a few laughs in it too which really shows me that Keaton really knew how to make movies which would be valued years after.

There has never been another actor like Buster Keaton. Others have come close, but none have truly matched his level of physical comedy. And certainly no one else has performed this brand of acting while also directing and writing his own gags. He was and is one of Hollywood's all time greatest stars and filmmakers. And Steamboat Bill Jr. is one of his best works.The story is interchangeable with dozens of other silent comedies. Young man travels to meet father who he has not seen since childhood. Father is not impressed with son. Young man meets love of his life, but their fathers, who are bitter rivals, forbid them to see each other. Old man faces serious legal and/or financial trouble. No points for guessing that the young man will save both his father and the girl from a great peril, or that love will triumph in the end.So it's entirely predictable from beginning to end, but it doesn't matter. We know going in that the plot is little more than a thread to hang the jokes from. We came simply to laugh and be entertained. And rest assured, you will be entertained.Keaton is in full form here, delivering all his now-classic gags. He comes off as a naive innocent and a clumsy oaf, whose every action results in delightful mayhem. When shown the boiler room on his father's steamboat, he of course leans against the wrong lever and rear ends their competitor's boat. His late night attempt to visit his girlfriend inevitably leaves him in the drink. And from the moment I saw his ukulele, I knew it was destined to be destroyed I comic fashion.What makes this material work is that despite their broadness, Keaton's mishaps do seem to be accidents. We never get the sense that he's deliberately being clumsy to make sure we get the joke. In most movies today, many of these gags would be only mildly amusing at best, and quickly become repetitive, yet that doesn't happen here. I wonder if that's because silent film is such a different medium from modern talkies, and creates a different mindset in viewers. Or perhaps it's Keaton's ability to play the material completely strait. He wasn't called the "Stone Face of Comedy" for nothing.And what elevates Steamboat Bill above even Keaton's other works is the fantastic storm sequence. He out-mimes even Marcel Marceau here, pushed along by an imaginary wind, and bending so far forward that we wonder what keeps him from falling down. And the effects are incredible for their time. Buildings collapse or are picked up as though they were doll houses. Keaton at one point clings to an oak tree, and both he and the oak are lifted into the air and deposited in the river. I was at a complete loss to explain how they created many of these effects, the level of technology being what it was.The most amazing scene however, was not an effect at all. The iconic shot of a wall falling on Keaton, who is unharmed because he is standing in the path of an open window, is exactly what it looks like. They actually dropped a two-ton wall on the star, and if he had been more than a few inches off, he could easily have been killed. You just don't see devotion like that today.

Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) is likely the most accessible of all Buster Keaton's features. Not that the others aren't accessible, but this one has everything: great gags, great stunts, great writing, and a great dynamic between Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrence, who plays his estranged tough-as-nails father.Buster is in his prime here. Once again, his performance showcases his unique combination of subtle pantomime and cartoon-like energy. That he predominantly uses his eyes and body to emote makes him among the most timeless of silent film actors, proof that these people did not need to overact to get their feelings across in pre-dialouge cinema. Marion Bryon is the love interest and though she's no Sybil Seely or Kathryn McGuire, she's cute as a button and full of flapper charm.Ernest Torrence is one of my favorite character actors and his performance as the old Steamboat Bill is my favorite performance from him. His cantankerous, macho nature contrasts beautifully with Buster's timid, milquetoast hero, and the development of their father-son dynamic is the most memorable part of the film, giving it a great sense of heart. (Whoever said Buster Keaton's films have no emotional stakes was 100 percent wrong.)Out of all the great climaxes Keaton's silent work, Steamboat Bill Jr's hurricane climax is the most iconic. The destruction of the little Mississippi town in this movie is more exciting and credible than the overblown CG disaster porn to be found in modern blockbusters. It still works its magic, even on preteens conditioned against movies older than Titanic (1997).If you're looking to get yourself or someone you know into the wonderful world of silent cinema, then Steamboat Bill Jr. is a great place to begin. It's a perfect little movie and one that does not feel its eighty-plus years of age.

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." stars Buster Keaton as the effete son of a riverboat captain who visits his father after years apart. Bill Sr., embarrassed by his son's lack of manliness, immediately sets out to teach him the ways of a riverboat crewman. Meanwhile, Bill Jr. is more interested in the daughter of his father's chief competitor.I found the story to be pretty interesting though the pacing left a little to be desired. The film's extended climax, however, is spectacular. I only wish that the rest of the film was as exciting and inventive.Keaton's acting is solid throughout and the film features his single most famous stunt; one whereby an entire building facade falls on top of him with only an open window preventing him from being crushed. The supporting cast is satisfying as well, particularly Ernest Torrence as Bill Sr. and the foxy Marion Byron as Keaton's love interest.Visually, the film's direction is well handled, especially in the climactic scenes which make use of special effects. The score that accompanied the film when I saw it was by the Alloy Orchestra, which I thought was pretty good but not outstanding.In the end, I enjoyed this film more than Keaton's most acclaimed film, "The General". However, while the film's climax is a definite must-see the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to the same standard.