Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

sol- Tricked into believing that he is the most popular student on campus, a college freshman gradually proves his worth in this Harold Lloyd silent comedy. This may not be Lloyd's funniest movie with several gags (falling down a staircase) telegraphed too far in advance, but this is a nice departure from Lloyd's earlier comedies with more in the way of character development and a narrative that is more plot than gag orientated. Even Lloyd's most famous work, 'Safety Last!', is most a series of skits loosely connected together, whereas 'The Freshman' spins a surprisingly compelling story with lessons to be learned and characters who change - and 'The Freshman' is still a fun comedy first and foremost even with such solid drama. There is a hilarious extended scene in which Lloyd attends a ball where his tailor has to keep discreetly mending his suit. Another highlight has Lloyd outsmarting a dog and the bits where keeps inadvertently annoying the college dean are awesome. There is also a beautiful shot in which Lloyd wipes the dust off the mirror to reveal his love interest, to his surprise, standing behind him. Jobyna Ralston does not have much to do in the role (compared to her earlier Lloyd collaborations) but she is as solid as ever, and with a great supporting cast to match, this is a Harold Lloyd comedy that lingers in the mind on account of more than just the jokes.

gavin6942 Nerdy college student (Harold Lloyd) will do anything to become popular on campus.As far as Lloyd comedies go, this film is more plot and character-driven than the constant physical punchlines of his other films (including, of course, "Safety Last"). That takes nothing away from it, but in fact possibly adds something -- proof that this is a man who can do both gags and a straight story.The Criterion release is incredible, not only for its commentary with Leonard Maltin and friends, but for its inclusion of plenty of Lloyd bonus material -- among other things, it has three short films.Hopefully through Criterion's efforts the name of Harold Lloyd grows in importance. The silent comedy era always seems to be Charlie Chaplin first, Buster Keaton second... and then Lloyd either a distant third or forgotten completely. He should never be forgotten.

normvog For years, it has been parroted that this is his Best Film. Allow me to disagree. What don't i like about it? First, the student's cruelty to Harold is, at first, annoying. As the story goes on, it becomes painful to watch; even HAROLD cries! Many of the gags just aren't that funny; the "unravelling suit", for example. Much too much time is spent on it, but it's just not that good for the time allotted to it.The most redeeming thing about the film is the romance that develops between them; it's quite heart-warming & tender. (And, of course, i LOVE the jig he does when he introduces himself!).Imho, "Safety Last" was his best film, followed closely by "Movie Crazy", "Girl Shy", "Dr.Jack" and others.

MARIO GAUCI One of Harold Lloyd's most popular vehicles, which Leonard Maltin rates **** - though I personally prefer SAFETY LAST (1923; only a *** in the famed and genial critic's book!) over it. Still, THE FRESHMAN is a marvelous comedy and an unmistakable classic (which, as was Lloyd's norm, featured wonderful cinematography that involved numerous in-camera 'tricks'). However, as mentioned in the accompanying Audio Commentary (by Maltin himself among others), the film is more character-driven - and, therefore, less gag-laden - than usual for Lloyd; interestingly, too, while normally the star/producer would shoot the central set-piece first and then devise a plot around it, he couldn't do so here because the central character's motivation during the concluding football game wasn't possible unless Lloyd and his writers had thoroughly worked out what led up to it!Needless to say, the film's college setting (a theme which endures to this day) has proved to be a very popular backdrop with star comedians along the years - beginning with Lloyd's contemporaries: it was followed by Buster Keaton's COLLEGE (1927), The Marx Bros.' HORSE FEATHERS (1932) and Laurel & Hardy's A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940). The gags, too, are of a very high standard: the opening scene where Lloyd's wacky college yells are mistaken by his father, an amateur radio enthusiast, for static (the look of disappointment on his face when he realizes the source of his 'reception' is priceless); Lloyd modeling his persona after the lead of a college-set film he watched, encapsulated in an elaborate dance step he makes prior to introducing himself to anyone, and which our hero fervently copies in the hope of gaining acceptance among his peers; Lloyd, rejected for the all-important football team, is eventually asked to serve as a 'dummy' on which his colleagues can perform their training!; the lengthy party sequence (in which the star is accompanied -because of his fragile costume - by an elderly tailor, suffering from periodical dizzy spells) is hysterically funny; the justly-celebrated football game, then, provides the perfect climax to the film (and was actually reprised over 20 years later by none other than Preston Sturges for the opening sequence of what turned out to be Lloyd's swan-song, THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK [1947]).As was the case with GIRL SHY (1924), the plot occasionally resorts to sentiment (one such scene, where Harold breaks down on leading lady Jobyna Ralston's lap, was actually removed by the star himself for subsequent re-issues because it was deemed excessive but, happily, it has been re-instated for this version): here, too, the emotional scenes are beautifully handled and do not sit uncomfortably alongside the slapstick or deter from the fun in any way.