“Mr. Bozo, to you.” —Groucho
Today’s quick review: Monkey Business. Four stowaways (Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx) cause havoc aboard a ship as they try to evade the captain (Ben Taggart) and his men. Through a series of accidents, the stowaways soon find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict between Briggs (Harry Woods), a temperamental gangster, and Joe Helton (Rockcliffe Fellowes), the millionaire he’s trying to extort.
Monkey Business is a classic comedy from the Marx Brothers. Using a passenger ship as their playground, the Brothers ply their signature form of comedy with as much skill as ever. The ship provides an endless supply of props for them to use: barrels, closets, barber shops, puppet shows, and more. The result is one of the Marx Brothers’ best movies for slapstick, with creative routines that make full use of the variety of props at their disposal.
Monkey Business has the usual bare-bones plot. A gangster hires Groucho and Zeppo to shake down a wealthy passenger, while Chico and Harpo end up being the man’s bodyguards. There’s a brief love story involving Zeppo and Mary (Ruth Hall), Joe Helton’s daughter, but it’s not as fully developed as the ones in the Brothers’ more story-centric films. Monkey Business also finds the time to slip in a musical duet with Chico on the piano and Harpo on the harp.
Monkey Business is a strong choice for fans of the Marx Brothers or classic comedy in general. Its slapstick routines are among the Marx Brothers’ best, while its smattering of story, music, and wordplay rounds out the physical humor quite nicely. Monkey Business doesn’t invest quite as heavily in its story and dialogue as some of the Brothers’ other movies, but it still has plenty of variety and lots to offer fans of light-hearted comedy.
For a Marx Brothers comedy with a good mixture of story and humor, try A Night at the Opera. For one that’s similarly focused on slapstick, try Horse Feathers. For another classic crime comedy with a similar plot, try Some Like It Lot.
7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for skillful, varied comedy.