Stunt work to die for. A tornado, buildings falling down, trees flying everywhere. Jackie Chan claims this film as one of his major inspirations.

Film comedy begins, and in many ways, ends with the great silents of which this is singularly outstanding. The town falling apart is audacious and awe-inspiring, but I laughed my ass off even more when Keaton wears funny hats and plays the ukulele. Pratfalls shmatfalls.

In a comedic sense, I think I prefer The General, but the sheer scale of the stunts in Steamboat Bill Jr. is a thing to behold. The film takes a while to build up steam due to a few misfires, like the romantic subplot which is built up, then ignored, then tacked on at the end, but the storm sequence comprising the entire third act is legendary slapstick.

Initially I was all set on giving Steamboat Bill Jr. a below average score. The film was plodding along and I wasn't really amused that much. Once the climax rolls around my mood quickly did a 180. What an impressive series of stunts, and such apocalyptic mayhem! The front-of-house-falling-forward stunt actually freaked me out a little. I can't in good conscience rate the film any lower than this with such an impressive finale.

Keaton always guarantees laughs, and the comedic staging and stuntwork in this one do not disappoint.

One of Buster's best. Includes the famous scene where the whole side of a house falls over, Buster only surviving because of a fortunately placed window.

I'm more than impressed with the balletic mayhem of Keaton's stunt work and the practical effects in the final third of the film, but when it comes down to it, I didn't find as funny as I thought it would be.

An exhilarating and hilarious movie. Buster Keaton's masterful comedic timing and brilliant stunt work elevate his films to a higher level of comedy, and Steamboat Bill, Jr.is among his finest. The wind storm sequence, with its multitudes of hilariously timed, large scale (and obviously very dangerous) stunts is one of the greatest comedy scenes ever filmed. The orchestration and planning that went into it must have been mind boggling. A fantastically entertaining movie.

This definitely improves on repeat viewings. Keaton just has such amazing physical abilities and a face that that contrasts beautifully with the harried situations he finds himself in. The highlights here are a scene of Keaton trying on hats, his attempted "escape by bread" scene at the jail, and of course, the fantastic storm sequence that closes the film. The romantic angle is poignantly, though briefly, treated, but it works well as a counterpoint to the comedy and action.

Have I mentioned I love Buster Keaton? How about I love Buster Keaton wearing funny hats? How about I love Buster Keaton wearing funny hats on a boat?

A few laugh-out-loud moments (my favorite of which is Keaton's attempt to open the jail cell with a corkscrew) and some phenomenal stunt work. Moves along at an impressive clip. It helps that Marion Byron is positively gorgeous.

3rd film of my marathon. This is the brilliance of Buster. Crazy stunts with a straight face.

The first half of the film is enjoyable enough - my favourite bit being Keaton's insanely athletic slip on a rope - but it's the ending that amazes.

Nearly as good as The General, although it takes a while to get going - the first third is a little boring.

Charming and enjoyable. The stunts are awesome

The last 15 minutes or so are pretty fantastic. The stunts and everything happening are insane and awesome. But getting there is a chore. Has a very predictable and boring story that is frustrating to watch most of the time. Just youtube the crazy stunts at the end and save yourself some time.

Of the Keaton's I've seen this is my least favorite. The story is relatively simple, which is fine considering they all were at the time and it's just a means to show cool stunts and funny gags. Unfortunately those gags didn't really work for me and the stunts didn't start to get good until the end. It's not bad, but it's certainly not one I'll ever see again.

Less visually impressive than Sherlock Jr. or The General, but still a funny, inventive physical comedy. The first half is slow going, but it's worth waiting for the amazing storm sequence. Another great Buster Keaton film.

#392

I loved the hurricane scene with people and wagons being blown around and buildings being blown apart. Very impressive!

Takes its time to get where it's going, but once it gets there it knocks it out of the park. Not among Keaton's best but it's still hilarious and the impeccably choreographed stunts are as strong as ever.

Not Buster Keaton's best film, but I still love the hell out of him. The protracted storm sequence towards the end is fantastic.

It's hard to go wrong with Buster Keaton. I wouldn't rank this one among his very best (Cameraman, Sherlock, General), but it's pretty good. The first two-thirds are amusing, but it's only the stormy climax that truly impresses. I wasn't really in the mood for a silent comedy and I was kind of bored at first, but the dynamite ending definitely perked me up.

Though it is considered a "classic" movie, when the chips are down Steamboat Bill is nothing more than an immature slice of American cinema.

# 323

This is probably Keaton at his funniest and most daring.

Essential for Buster Keaton fans, but not quite as good as The General or Sherlock, Jr.. The pacing in the first half or the film is somewhat leisurely. That served to make the astounding storm sequence at the end all the more powerful, but it also resulted in some kind of superfluous scenes. Also, the romance subplot with the girl seemed a bit underplayed. Still, the humor throughout and those stunts in the storm sequence more than make up for it.

Contains, very possibly, the most dangerous stunt ever filmed... but still not all that funny. Awfully predictable, too, like so many "classic" comedies of this vintage

Great movie. I'm not a big fan of physical comedy but Buster Keaton does it incredibly well. For a silent comedy it really packs in a lot of other things as well with a romantic subplot, the relationship with his father and all sorts of small comedy bits that aren't about fumbling around. Like all such movies it's a little uneven but is on the whole very successful.