Diagonaldi Very well executed

Tockinit not horrible nor great

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

MisterWhiplash Featuring a plot involving (surprise) a troubled business venture/missing money and some side characters with nefarious intentions, A very good course corrective after the lackluster Room Service - there is a plot but its more about the set pieces (Harpo and Chico in the guys bedroom as they disastrously look for money, Groucho stuck with his feet on the ceiling, any time Harpo and an animal be it in a suit or not) - though it still lacks the spark of their earlier films. "Lydia" reaches the lofty heights of their great nonsense songs and fits the circus... An oddly placed reprisal of the black characters surround Harpo and have a jumpy musical number from Day at the Races (which was the odd weak part of that movie) not so much.In short, it does its job well enough if not spectacularly, however its almost worth ranking with the best for Groucho, upon noticing his wallets been pickpocketed and stuffed between her breasts and knows he has to get it out, says "how can I get it out and stick to the Hayes code?" One of the biggest laughs I've had in years.

slymusic The Marx Brothers themselves are a maniacal circus, so it is only fitting that they would be the stars of the MGM feature "At the Circus", and for a latter-day Marx Bros. film, this one is very good, in my opinion. Groucho as usual is uninhibited with wordplay, sexual innuendo, and insults for his consistent foil Margaret Dumont (but try not to be distracted by Groucho's awful hairpiece). Bearing the snazzy name of J. Cheever Loophole, Groucho supposedly portrays an attorney hired to help a traveling circus recover its stolen income. As circus employees, Harpo and Chico are allotted plenty of opportunities to apply their unique brands of comedy. And the two romantic leads, played by Kenny Baker (as Jeff Wilson, circus owner) and Florence Rice (as Julie Randall, performer) are very likable, except for that really corny musical number called "Two Blind Loves" that they sing together ("Step Up and Take a Bow" is considerably better). The rest of the cast, like the circus itself, is quite colorful.Probably the greatest highlight of "At the Circus" is Groucho's vocalizing one of his most beloved standbys for the remainder of his career: "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"! As you listen to Groucho (as Mr. Loophole) sing the tune, notice how everyone else around him (particularly Harpo) joins in the barrel of fun. Other highlights: Did I just say "barrel"? Well, Chico (as Antonio "Tony" Ferrelli) provides his one-of-a-kind ivory-tickling rendition of the Beer Belly, er, the Beer Barrel Polka, complete with his hard-to-resist smile and wink to the camera. (It amazes me that Chico was able to smile at all, what with the enormous wads of cash he blew away with his compulsive gambling.) Punchy (Harpo) plays checkers while a friendly seal "coaches" him. Loophole and Antonio go through a badge bit at the train station, during which the puns & horseplay never stop. While Loophole is trying to trap a cigar-smoking little person into a confession, Antonio is too dimwitted to realize that he is bungling Loophole's plan. The wild rope/trapeze chase at the end (to the musical accompaniment of "Tiger Rag") is hilarious, particularly with Gibraltar the gorilla starting the whole commotion. And although African-Americans today would be outraged seeing people of their race degrading themselves in this film, I must admit that "Swingali" is not a bad jazz number.A few gags in "At the Circus" don't really work, particularly the lengthy sequence of Tony and Punchy searching a bedroom belonging to an arrogant muscle man, but not to worry. For anybody who enjoys a good circus, this Marx Bros. film is a special treat, as sweet as the lemonade we might sip with all the popcorn.

JohnWelles The Marx Brothers "At the Circus" (1939) was made just when their films were starting to decline in quality at the hands of MGM. Their are the usual vices, such as the the romantic subplot, the sheer unbelievable fact that the brothers would actually help a circus that was badly in debt and, apart from Groucho singing about Lydia, the Tattooed Lady, the songs are mundane and instantly forgettable. On the plus side however, you have Groucho trying to get on to the circus train, again trying (and failing) to get some money from a female trapeze artiste and of course a grand dinner party with Margaret Dumont. The two other brother, Harpo and Chico, also get some memorable moments, particular when both of them play detective. Plus, an unforgettable encounter with an orchestra. One of the most underrated Marx Brothers films from their stay at MGM.

lugonian AT THE CIRCUS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939), directed by Edward Buzzell, became the third collaboration of the Marx Brothers at MGM. Released just ten years following their movie debut in THE COCOANUTS (Paramount, 1929), this production, which shows great promise in placing those three clowns of comedy, Groucho (sporting a toupee), Chico and Harpo in a circus background, demonstrates just how much their comedies have declined and how little regard the powers that be at MGM had for them, particularly the mistreatment of Groucho's character in having him easily duped and pushed into a puddle of water during a heavy rain storm (Groucho quips: "If I get any drier, I'd drown!") by Chico. In spite of some low points such as the writers having Chico play such a stupid character, it does provide some great moments of hilarity, some by Harpo, who makes cinema history by breaking his code of silence by sounding out "Ah! Choo" while sneezing.Plot summary: Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker) is the owner of Wilson Wonder Circus, which consists of Julie Randall (Florence Rice), his fiancé/singer who performs a trick horse riding act; Peerless Pauline (Eve Arden), an acrobat who uses suction boots to perform her upside-down act; Goliath the strongman (Nat Pendleton - in make-up very similar to his Sandow character from 1936's THE GREAT ZIEGFELD, along with a curly wig that resembles him with Harpo); Punchy (Harpo), Goliath's assistant; and Professor Atom (Jerry Marenghi), a cigar smoking midget. Jeff owes $10,000 to John Carter (James Burke), and must meet his payment deadline or else face bankruptcy. That night, Jeff's cash settlement is stolen from him. Tony (Chico), a circus hand, helps Jeff by sending for his friend, attorney J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho), via telegram. Suspecting the robbery to be an inside job, Loophole and Tony play detectives by investigating the staff, and getting themselves in trouble during the process. In order to raise the money, Loophole acquires it from Suzanne Dukesberry (Margaret Dumont, who arrives very late into the story), Jeff's wealthy aunt who had disowned him, and in return, arranges to have Wilson's Wonder Circus perform at her estate in place for her hired orchestra, thus, turning a dull society function into a real three ring circus of confusion.On the musical program composed by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen, songs include: "Step Up and Take a Bow" (sung by Florence Rice); "Two Blind Loves" (sung by Kenny Baker and Florence Rice); "Beer Barrel Polka" (piano solo by Chico); "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" (sung by Groucho); "Swingali" (performed by Harpo and black circus workers, a number quite similar to "Tomorrow is Another Day" from 1937s A DAY AT THE RACES, concluding with a Harpo harp solo); "Two Blind Loves" (reprise by Kenny Baker) "Step Up and Take a Bow" (reprise by Florence Rice), and Richard Wagner's Prelude to Act 3 from "Lohengrin" (conducted by Fritz Feld to his orchestra on a floating platform as they drift out to sea. Watch the finish to find out how and why).AT THE CIRCUS suffers from poorly structured comic supplements, notably the beginning where Groucho is not to be admitted on the train by Chico without first showing his badge, which he does not have. Since Chico had sent for him in the first place, why such treatment? This routine would have served them better had Groucho's character been a total stranger. Groucho does get on the train, but with no indication as to how this was accomplished. Another weak link is Groucho's attempt in tricking a suspected midget into offering him a cigar so it can be compared with the one found at the scene of the crime. However, this proves impossible since Chico constantly offers his own cigar instead, foiling Groucho's plan even after Chico being told of the scheme in advance. A similar routine with Abbott and Costello or The Three Stooges would have succeeded simply because this is what's expected of them, or possibly by Groucho and Harpo, but in this instance, "close but no cigar." Aside from that, AT THE CIRCUS does redeem itself with Groucho's attempt retrieving the stolen money from Peerless Pauline's bosom after acquiring it from one of the crooks, and keeping it in a "safe" place. He looks into the camera saying, "There must be some way I can get that money back without getting in trouble with the Hays Office!"; Groucho's singing what was to become his signature song, "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady"; and the best saved for last being the circus finale at the Dukesberry estate. Any movie that has the straight faced Margaret Dumont shot from a cannon and swinging on the flying trapeze while the brothers attempt to rescue her (and being no help at all), makes up for the weakness that preceded this. And watch what the gorilla (man in gorilla suit, naturally) does for an encore after exposing the crooks. "Hey, Rube!" Clocked at 87 minutes, one wonders how much better structured this story might have been had deleted scenes, such as the courtroom sequence involving legal eagle Loophole (Groucho) questioning defendants on the witness stand, remained instead of the "Swingali" number or the Kenny Baker tenor loving love songs. Originally available on video cassette since the 1980s and currently on DVD, this sawdust comedy can be seen on Turner Classic Movies. (***)