As most Laurel and Hardy enthusiasts know, this was the first film that the two comedians made for 20th Century Fox after leaving Hal Roach. Suddenly pressed into an oppressive studio system, the stars were put through their paces in a movie that was intentionally meant as a ripoff of Abbott & Costello's "Buck Privates." Not having seen that movie, I can't comment on the similarities. However, I can comment that Stan and Ollie are clearly not in the same type of picture that they had been appearing in previously. Whether that's good or bad depends on your point of view.
Stan and Babe had spent twelve years developing a slower, more laconic style of comedy dependent upon milking reactions to familiar gags, and being more about characters than situations. All that is gone with "Great Guns," which is more about silly gags and patter. The pace is faster, so no one has any time to milk a reaction. And it's clear that Stan and Babe aren't terribly comfortable with that.
One problem is that the one-liners aren't particularly funny. After a couple of viewings, it still took me a while to realize that some of the lines were meant to be jokes. Laurel and Hardy try to punch up some of the gags with their usual physical shtick, which is partially successful. (The beginning of the film involves Stan manicuring a lawn with tiny scissors.) The best gag is towards the end of the film, involving a long plank of wood. Unfortunately it's not enough to make up for a stupid scene where the duo masquerades as businessmen, or a later bit where Stan actually goes "Woooooooo!" like a drunken football fan, completely unconvincingly.
If you ignore the more embarrassing sub-Stooges material, you can get a few laughs out of this film. Stan and Babe have enough professionalism to not make any film a total loss. But there are better films to watch, and this definitely is not the first film to introduce someone unfamiliar with Laurel and Hardy.
Stan and Babe had spent twelve years developing a slower, more laconic style of comedy dependent upon milking reactions to familiar gags, and being more about characters than situations. All that is gone with "Great Guns," which is more about silly gags and patter. The pace is faster, so no one has any time to milk a reaction. And it's clear that Stan and Babe aren't terribly comfortable with that.
One problem is that the one-liners aren't particularly funny. After a couple of viewings, it still took me a while to realize that some of the lines were meant to be jokes. Laurel and Hardy try to punch up some of the gags with their usual physical shtick, which is partially successful. (The beginning of the film involves Stan manicuring a lawn with tiny scissors.) The best gag is towards the end of the film, involving a long plank of wood. Unfortunately it's not enough to make up for a stupid scene where the duo masquerades as businessmen, or a later bit where Stan actually goes "Woooooooo!" like a drunken football fan, completely unconvincingly.
If you ignore the more embarrassing sub-Stooges material, you can get a few laughs out of this film. Stan and Babe have enough professionalism to not make any film a total loss. But there are better films to watch, and this definitely is not the first film to introduce someone unfamiliar with Laurel and Hardy.