Important Business

WARNING: These comments may reveal portions of the film plot.

Robert Benchley plays Joseph A. Doakes in this comedy short. Mr. Doakes has been called to Washington, DC on "Important Business." Unfortunately, the government man he is supposed to meet with doesn't seem to think that the "business" is all that important after all, and Mr. Doakes, after several humorous adventures, winds up back home without ever meeting with the man from Washington.

That doesn't stop Mr. Doakes from playing up this important meeting however. At the end of the short we discover that this "Important Business" has led Mr. Doakes right to a legislative seat in Washington.

The clever part of this film is that 1) You never find out who asked Mr. Doakes to Washington; 2) You never find out why he was called to Washington; 3) He never says what the meeting was going to be about; 4) You never see him do ANYTHING related to dealing with any government issues. And yet, he STILL becomes the focus of attention and eventually voted into office. So, now I know how to get into politics...if I ever want to.

The short is indeed that -- just 10 minutes. It's almost more of a comedy sketch than a film short. You'll enjoy this film. And if you don't, it will be over quick.

Important Business (1944)

** (out of 4)

Joe Doakes (Robert Benchley) receives a letter from Washington, D.C. for him to come out and meet a government official so Doakes begins telling everyone that they finally want to learn what he knows. Doakes boards a train for this important business but when he arrives there he realizes he isn't going to be meeting anyone. I've shared my opinion of Benchley during reviews for many of his shorts but here is yet another that I didn't find funny. Once again it really does seem as if there wasn't even an attempt to make this thing funny because nothing funny happens. You'd think once he arrives in Washington D.C. that something would happen but instead he just sits by a phone and waits for someone to call. Nothing funny there, at least to me. Early on he simply sits around telling people that he's going to Washington. Again, I'm guessing this was meant to be funny but I didn't crack a smile. This is far from Benchley's worst short but it's pretty bland from start to finish.