Hard Luck (1921) Short Film

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Buster tries various ways of killing himself before being drawn into hunting, fishing and kidnapping.

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Directed By: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline

Written By: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline

Starring: Buster Keaton, Joe Roberts, Virginia Fox

Genre: Comedy

Country: USA

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Hard Luck belongs to 1 collection

1. Masters of Cinema (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 6 stars)

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Date	User	Rating
Mar 29	NathanBates	60 _34th
I've mentioned it before, but the beginnings and ends of these Keaton shorts are drastically different. Some good parts, some a little overdone. I had hopes we'd finish the armadillo excursion, though.
Mar 05	Icarus	70 _41st
Some funny setups--loved the fish gag--but is overall a mishmash of oddities that don't really fit together.
Oct 21, 2022	SHOCKULAR	57 _17th
Has some moments, but underwhelming for a Keaton. It doesn't really tie together at all, and there's no real spectacular scene. The first five minutes, of Keaton continually trying to kill himself and failing in amusing ways, is the best.
Sep 29, 2022	Lonewolf2003	65 _28th
The first 10 minutes or so with Buster trying but failing to kill himself is surprisingly dark. After that it becomes a more standard short with Buster first trying his hand on hunting and than saving a girl from a bandit, which it is still amusing but subpar compared to what Buster directed so far.
Aug 17, 2022	MovieCinema	62 _49th
I thought the whole schtick of this short was "guy tries to kill himself but fails comically every time" (I prefer Harold Lloyd's version of this trope: "Never Weaken" released the same year), but unfortunately it lasts only 5 minutes, the rest being wacky shenanigans, some of them pretty well choreographed, others just meh
Aug 09, 2022	doyler29	70 _36th
This one's an odd, somewhat absurdist series of random skits that barely hangs together as a real short. Does it work? Yeah ... kind of. It's Keaton.
Mar 13, 2022	Ab-ı Haya	70 _27th
10.15 Erkan
Mar 14, 2021	driscarpin	74 _52nd
Há 100 anos Má Sorte estreava nos EUA. Tem uma estrutura bem estranha para um curta, na primeira e melhor parte há diversas tentativas de suicídio, na segunda há toda uma comoção em torno de caçadas e na última é o típico mocinho versus bandido, parecem 3 curtas distintos em um, mas mesmo parecendo peculiar ainda é um deleite. Plus: Keaton, super fit, em trajes de banho! Box Obras-primas do Cinema Buster Keaton.
May 09, 2020	AFlickering	3 _37th
the second half is a jumbled mess with an aristocratic stench that leaves one longing for chaplin, but on the other hand there's the dark and brilliant suicide riffs of the first half, with the subsequent fish gag highlighting the character flaw that likely got him into this state in the first place. the window/tea gag stands out and, most importantly, the legendary epilogue, thankfully rescued from believed oblivion in the 80s: https://i.imgur.com/2ktAv27.gifv
Feb 17, 2020	closedmouth	60 _20th
'87 version, the legendary final gag is a silly dad joke so I'm not too mad I missed it. I liked the black comedy about suicide and it's funny in itself how wildly divergent the plot is but it's still pretty minor. Roberts doesn't show up until the end so Buster seems weirdly alone for most of it. Not a bad thing but gives it an odd vibe.
Mar 11, 2019	hotsake	50 _34th
The stunt work was good but most of the gags weren't funny.
Jul 27, 2014	Heliophage	73 _89th
It meanders all over the place, but it's fun overall and features some creative gags. I'm glad I didn't know the ending in advance--it really is a good laugh.
Mar 10, 2012	Kadrian	50 _34th
Hard luck indeed. He can't even kill himself without blowing it somehow. Buster Keaten fare for the true fan, but nothing incredible here.
Feb 11, 2012	Luna6ix	76 _57th
it's got a couple laughs here and there, but it's more unfunny than funny. it gets a few extra points for being neither funny nor boring, and has the benefit of being a two-reeler so it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Apr 12, 2011	PeaceAnarchy	75 _44th
Loses steam at times, but it's pretty funny.
Jan 19, 2011	Alex Watkins	3 _38th
Wasn't expecting Buster Keaton to try his hand at suicide. Starts out surprisingly dark but ends up featuring more of Keaton's attempts at heroics. Nothing special, but enjoyable enough.
Jul 30, 2009	Nathan S	2 _21st
This one wasn't really doing it for me. Even at 20 minutes it seemed too slow and long for its own good, and it's not incredibly funny. The exception is the long-lost finale, which is hilarious.
Mar 06, 2009	chemical404	50 _38th
Buster is very unlucky in this short film. He looses everything he has, and tries (unlucky and funny) to kill himself. With some freak chance he is hired to hunt down some animal for zoo, and few gags inwolving him fishing and hunting are shown. In third part he meets a bandit, and tries to save a pretty girl from him. Plot is very loose, but i liked a few gags. Also i think this short offers couple original filming and editing details never used by Buster before.
Jun 20, 2008	joseywales	74 _69th
Funny little Keaton short with no real plot to speak of, just loosely related gags culminating in the one at the end that got him the most laughs in his career and was previously lost to the world.

Average Percentile 49.26% from 172 Ratings