His Ex Marks the Spot

Starring: Buster Keaton, Elsie Ames, Matt McHugh, Dorothy Appleby
Directed by:Jules White
Rating: Approved
Genre: Short, Comedy
Length: 18 minutes
1940

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A couple (Buster Keaton, Dorothy Appleby) reluctantly allow his ex-wife (Elsie Ames) and her new man (Matt McHugh) to move in with them.

Review:

Tim: Although I'm a big Buster Keaton fan, I have to admit His Ex Marks the Spot isn't close to his best short films. It's definitely one of the weaker Columbia films. That's not to suggest there's not funny moments- there absolutely are. It's just that the whole premise and the film as a whole is one of his weaker efforts.

I struggled with the whole concept here. I know the short explains it, but it's such a ridiculous, farfetched premise that a man and his wife would have to suffer the indignity of having the man's ex-wife and her friend/boyfriend whatever move into their home. This whole concept feels forced, which is a shame, because every gag and joke in the film is based on this flimsy premise. It gives the movie an especially weak foundation. It causes you to not really believe anything you're seeing on screen. It just doesn't make good logical sense.

On top of that crumbling foundation of the implausible plot, the movie itself is only mildly entertaining. Keaton has made some truly funny short films- this isn't one of them. All the jokes feel very one-note. They're almost all gags about people getting hurt and various pratfalls. Yes, there's always something entertaining about this and there's definitely enough of these gags to hold our attention for 18 minutes. But they all feel a bit cheaper, more uninspired than we've seen in previous films. I definitely laughed a few times (and my seven year-old son laughed right along with me), but they weren't belly laughs. This is all decently entertaining and yes, Keaton is so experienced at this that he fully commits and sells the gags- that makes the pratfalls funny. But, in the broader body of work he's produced, this is clearly a lesser effort.

I'm glad I watched this film, although it's clearly beneath some of his other efforts. Big Keaton fans will find a lot to like here. Elsie Ames adds a physical performance, Matt McHugh's laugh resonates in your ears long after the short ends, and Dorothy Appleby is always effective. The problem is really the script and it's implausibility and lack of big laughs. This short is worth seeing, but it's definitely fine to skip it, too.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A



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