The Cocoanuts

It's a bit of a shame that the brilliantly swinging humor is interrupted by dance and singing numbers and a romantic plot. Not that the numbers are bad and the romance is annoying, not at all, on the contrary, it's all very charming (and the music is by Irving Berlin!), but it gets in the way of the Marx Brothers' jokes and holds them back. "Think of the opportunities Florida offers. I came to Florida three years ago and didn't have a dime. Now I have one!" (2016-01-24)

Five out of nine, not only in terms of plot but unexpectedly also in terms of form. Singing or cabaret numbers do not offend in any way, but at the same time they do not add anything and only delay the viewer who is watching the "Coconuts" as the debut of a famous group. Only the lively Dadaist concert (entertaining in direct proportion to the number of Marx Brothers appearing in a given scene) is able to entertain as the famous group deserves, and surprisingly, right from the start, it is obvious to me which one of them will be likely to have an effect. As such, the unstoppable machine gun Groucho and the clever Chico positively – and the silent Harpo negatively, because his eternal staring is simply never enjoyable for me, and sticking his own leg into someone else's hand seems to me like the weakest thing the brothers ever came up with (and unfortunately, it is used as a running joke). Zeppo barely deserves a mention, because I had to actively search for him occasionally; after all, it is already clear right from the start that he will always be the fourth one. (2020-03-18)