Fred C. Newmeyer (1888–1967)

An enthusiastically oblivious dork goes to college.

Pleasant and cute. It's a character driven story, which is a big change of pace for Harold. Hopefully he sticks with this approach - he's just not funny enough for feature-length slapstick.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: C

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.1/4

(Feb. 2014)

A rich jackass joins the Navy.

It has its moments. For the first 10-15 minutes, Harold's character is pretty funny, but then he suddenly changes into Generic Comedy Hero. There are some nice antics in the climax; antics are definitely Harold's strength. There's a long middle section that I could have mostly done without.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 1.9/4

A healthy woman is treated as if she were sick.

Easily one of the best crafted Harold Lloyd films in terms of storytelling. It's heavy on pathos, and, despite being punctuated by slapstick gags and culminating in zany antics, is more effective than most dramas of the era (not that that's saying much).

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.3/4

(May 2013)

A young romantic's suicide attempts are interrupted by a construction site.

Entertaining. It's about half comedy (of the we're-having-fun-but-not-actually-laughing variety), and about half stunts. Unfortunately, the two rarely coincide effectively.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.1/4

(Apr. 2013)