ExplorerDS6789
It was a perfect Sunday morning when the Laurels, Hardys and grouchy Uncle Edgar decide to go on a picnic. What's the worst that could happen? If you have to ask that, then clearly you don't know who you're dealing with. So it all began with the wives planning a lovely picnic, even insisting that Uncle Edgar come along, despite him having a terrible case of gout. Then the boys stroll merrily out of the kitchen, boasting a big, beautiful tray of sandwiches and fruits. Well, when stooping to get a dropped sandwich, the kitchen door swings and hits Stan, making him head-butt Ollie in the groin and making him drop that lovely array of food all over the floor. The boys start pushing and shoving and throwing food at each other before the wives break it up and remind them that "this is the Sabbath. A day of peace." So Stan and Ollie laugh and make up, then help pick up the food, only Stan accidentally slams Ollie in the head with the tray, then the dog attacks Edgar's gouted foot, and once again, all the food ends up back on the floor along with the damaged thermos. So anyway, now it's off to the picnic as everybody climbs into the iconic, yet clunky Model T Ford...and before any auto enthusiasts come after me with pitchforks, let me assure you that I agree the Model T was very revolutionary for its time and introduced many innovations in the automobile that improved operation and maneuverability and paved the way for the types of vehicles we have today. I get that, however let's be honest, the Model T could be very problematic when it wanted to be, and this is one such incident. After getting in the car, they all bid repeated farewells with the neighbors and suddenly acquire a flat tire. So they all get out, Edgar has a few accidents with his foot, and Stan accidentally puts the jack on the wrong side of the wheel, making it impossible to remove the tire, but when he manages to pull it out, the car comes crashing down on Edgar's foot! Ouch. Gout or not, that foot is now broken. Forget the picnic and get that man to a hospital. But, don't worry, in the world of Laurel and Hardy, nobody is ever seriously hurt, but I like how the wives treat Edgar like a crybaby, which he has every right to be in this instance.Finally, after changing the tire (i.e. inadvertently putting the flat back on the car), they're finally ready to resume their picnic, but oops, they forgot to remove the jack. Exasperated, Ollie grabs the jack and throws it... right through nextdoor neighbor Baldwin Cooke's window. Baldwin retaliates by throwing it through the boys' windshield. Now, anybody who has seen Big Business knows that Stan and Ollie's specialty is property damage, so they chuck a brick through Baldwin's other window, and he returns the favor, now stuff is about to get real... but uh oh, everybody needs to hide. Why? A passing parson. So, after Stan and Ollie accidentally swap coats and get stuck in them, they're ready to go again, only this time the car won't start. Ollie gets out to crank it and narrowly avoids getting hit by another car when Stan pulls a lever and the Model T blasts him into the street. He even tries to help by literally throwing out the clutch. Ollie beans Stan in the head with it and orders, "keep your hands to your-SELF!" So finally, the car cranks to live... and the engine explodes. Stan grabs Baldwin's hose to put out the fire, and drench Ollie in the process. Enraged, Ollie strangles Stan, who then strangles him back, then he shoves Stan against the car, which finally starts up, so NOW our picnic can finally begin, right? Unfortunately not, as the moment they hit the road, they underestimate the depth of a puddle in the road.Classic Laurel and Hardy, showing that bickering with one another will not accomplish anything, and when the odds are against you-in this case, their car constantly breaking down-you're pretty much going to be stuck in the same place all day unless you band together and work against the problem. A very valuable life lesson. Anyone who has ever had gout will certainly wince at the scene where Edgar has a car fall on his foot. Moments before that is a scene where everyone seems to gang up on Stan after accidentally sitting and bumping Edgar's foot a few too many times, which is probably why he put the jack on the wrong side of the wheel. This film also has a nice callback to Big Business where the boys try to sell James Finlayson a Christmas tree. Man, that was some epic property damage! You gotta see that one, and you've got to see this one too. Hard to believe both films are almost 90 years old. How time flies. New Laurel and Hardy fans should definitely see Perfect Day, diehard fans should see it again, it's just a fine example of how a simple premise, perfectly timed jokes and gags and a terrific team of performers can bring together a strong, viable product. And to think, they might have saved a lot of trouble by just having a picnic on the front lawn.
thinbeach
Many people seem to compare this to Chaplin's 'A Days Pleasure', but given the majority of that film took place on a boat, and this one takes place in a stationary car, there is hardly any semblance at all. It's a nice day, and Stan and Ollie want to take their families out for a drive, but there are issues with the car, and that is where the comparisons to 'A Days Pleasure' stops.Many also claim this is funnier than 'A Days Pleasure' but I certainly don't see it. The jokes are telegraphed and laboured. Given it was early days for sound and the technical difficulties were high I won't be too critical of that, but the expression in the voices does sound phony, and doesn't improve upon the duo's best silents such as 'Big Business', 'Wrong Again, and 'Leave 'em Laughing.' They also have not yet discovered the art of soundtrack timing. The music plays underneath the whole thing as if it were a silent, with no pause or adjustment for the occasions when the actors speak.This one for Stan and Ollie die hards only.
bob the moo
Oliver, Stan and their extended family decide to go for a drive and have a picnic given that it is such perfect weather for it. However a series of events starting with an injured foot, a faulty car and many misunderstandings mean that it is harder to bid their neighbours farewell than they'd hoped.Although slapstick must seem very simply humour (it is, after all, people falling over) it actually must be very difficult to do. In this case it all centres round a picnic trip although the car goes no further than it's parking space for the majority of the film. To come up with a 20 minutes sketch around this is hard work, but yet Laurel & hardy manage to pull it off. The jokes are all quite obvious and none are out of nowhere or very funny, but it all works quite well.The funniest bit to me was the punchline – both Laurel & Hardy keep straight faces and do it like real professionals and make the final shot funnier than it actually is. Both the leads are good but the material requires a lot more setting up which means you can often see the gag about a mile away and it takes away form it a little. The support cast are all pretty ordinary but perform their tasks adequately as really we are watching the lead two. Kennedy's contribution is easily the best as he does battle with a foot bandage and an angry dog.Overall this is an enjoyable short despite the fact that the humour is very staged and doesn't flow as easily as much of their stuff. The punchline is good but some of the material just seems to be lacking that spark. That said, it is still worth a watch.
