Saps at Sea (1940) Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Ben Turpin, Richard Cramer, Harry Bernard, Eddie Conrad Movie Review

Saps at Sea (1940)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Saps at Sea (1940)

Laurel & Hardy are all at Sea

It happened to others before him as working in a horn factory with all that noise causes Oliver to have a violent fit and a nervous breakdown. After calling his doctor he takes heed of his advice and with Stan by his side they decide to have a boating vacation hoping the sea air will do him some good. Unfortunately for the best friends an escaped killer has stowed away on the boat. To try and prevent him from getting away the duo decide to prepare him a meal using string, sponges and soap except he is wise to their plans.

I've mentioned this before in other reviews of Laurel & Hardy movies, I actually find watching an hour of their comedy a little hard work and it is no different with "Saps at Sea". It all comes down to that these movies were always gag orientated with a storyline which often ended up some where very different to where it started and yet there was never much of it. It is why I ended up watching "Saps at Sea" in two sittings as after a half hour of comedy I needed something more.

The thing is that of course "Saps at Sea" is all about the comedy and as per usual there is a whole variety of it on show ranging from slapstick to some creativity and with Oliver often staring down the lens of the camera in despair as Stan's stupidity. And the thing is that whilst there are other Laurel & Hardy movies which I prefer more there is no denying that they were comedy geniuses and so many of the gags in "Saps at Sea" are timeless, still making you laugh now and yes even stupid jokes about doors being shut in people's faces still work.

What this all boils down to is that "Saps at Sea" is like so many of Laurel & Hardy movies which means lots of jokes, lots of fun but very little story. As such whilst fans will enjoy this as much as any of their movies those who need more than an hour of gags, no matter how clever they are, might find they need a break half way through.


LATEST REVIEWS