The Marx Brothers (“Duck Soup”, “Monkey Business”) cause more trouble in “Animal Crackers”. My admiration for Groucho Marx only grows with each Marx Brothers’ film that I see as well as my tolerance of the antics of Chico and Harpo. It’s fair to say that “Animal Crackers” is not without its faults but it has enough great gags in it to keep you entertained.

Explorer Captain Spaulding (Groucho Marx) has just returned from his African expedition and is being treated to a party hosted by Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont). However, disaster strikes when an expensive painting purchased by Mrs. Rittenhouse is stolen and it seems like everybody is a suspect.

Groucho Marx is absolutely hysterical. Some of his speeches in this movie contain some of the funniest lines I have ever heard in a movie. In response to allegations of bigamy, he says ‘yes, it is big of me’ and he also claims that ‘Africa is God’s country and he can have it’. However, Chico only provides a few chuckles and Harpo is rather tedious. Zeppo is in here too but obviously does not really do anything funny. It’s quite funny to watch Margaret Dumont react to Groucho’s rantings. The other characters are all pretty forgettable.

Parts of “Animal Crackers” are a little mundane but the stuff with Groucho makes up for a lot of it. Overall, it’s no comedic masterpiece but it does contain some excellent gags throughout. I did really enjoy parts of this film because some of the writing is just terrific and fans of the Marx Brothers definitely need to check this one out because it is one of the better movies. If you have never seen any of the Marx Brothers pictures then this is as good a place as any to start although “Duck Soup” is still probably their best film.