Big Noise

Big Noise
Customer Review: Wish I could rate it higher
(Contains spoilers.) While it's true that L&H's post-1940 films don't enjoy the greatest reputation, it's not true that they're all horrible either. Unfortunately, this isn't one of the better ones from that crop. There are a number of good funny moments in this one, even a few bordering on great, but nothing really memorable or liable to send anyone but young children into hysterics. The sub-plot with the spies who want to steal the eccentric scientist's bomb takes up a little too much screentime, at times giving the feeling that L&H are more like guest stars in their own movie. And a lot of the funniest bits are gags from earlier films and shorts, like 'Berth Marks,' 'Oliver the Eighth,' and 'The Flying Deuces.' We can just picture how this storyline would have played out had it been made at Hal Roach Studios, and it's not the way it's handled here. It does start out pretty good, but it just has the feeling of a lot of great opportunities wasted, a hit-and-miss movie. If only they'd had one of their old foils to play against, there might have been a hint of that old magical sparkle, the way there is when Edgar Kennedy comes back to play the foil in 'Air Raid Wardens.' Although the child actor who plays the inventor's bratty son did a really great job in his role of being an annoying brat; it's too bad he doesn't get punished for all the trouble he causes. (The back of the video also mentions that, in keeping with wartime regulations, there was no waste in this movie as in previous ones, no pies thrown, houses demolished, clothes ripped, although we clearly see that Ollie's clothes do rip during this movie, as well as the paint Stan accidentally sprays on the painting.) The ending also makes no sense; one moment Stan and Ollie are parachuting out of the out of control plane to avoid being further shot at by the soldiers who are training down below, unknowing there are people in the plane they're supposed to shoot, and then all of a sudden they're over the ocean, looking down at a ship with a Japanese flag and a Japanese man talking to a Nazi? As it's been pointed out by some, they never would have dropped a bomb on anyone on purpose in their Hal Roach days, not even if it were wartime. That's not the kind of people they are. It's a wonder the bomb didn't go off earlier, the way Stan kept manhandling the accordion he hid it in, but now to get rid of it they'll bomb an enemy ship instead of taking it on to Washington like they were instructed to do? And why in the world should we believe that nobody knew about this enemy ship planning an attack on the U.S. when the Army base is apparently right nextdoor? And where in the world do they land after they've dropped the bomb? There are so many unanswered questions the average viewer probably has after seeing this confusing ending that comes out of nowhere!
Customer Review: Stan and Ollie Deliver a Few Classic Moments
"The Big Noise" (1944) does not rank among the best Laurel and Hardy comedies. However, it's not their all-time worst, as many critics have claimed. Despite their age and lack of creative input, Stan and Ollie provide a few classic routines in this wartime escapade. Children will enjoy "The Big Noise" more than adults, but the uninitiated should seek out "The Music Box" (1932) and "Way Out West" (1937).