Une partie de plaisir

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess). 'Perfect Day' is not one of the best and funniest Laurel and Hardy short films up to this point of their output, but it is still great fun. Their filmography, apart from a few bumps along the way, was getting better and better and 'Perfect Day' exemplifies this.

Not a lot to criticise here, though the story is slight and takes time to get going.

Once again, 'Perfect Day' is non-stop funniness all the way when it gets going. There is insane craziness that doesn't get too silly, a wackiness that never loses its energy, the lack of vulgarity that is a large part of 'Perfect Day's ' memorability and the sly wit emerges here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually feels fresh and it doesn't get repetitive.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Perfect War' we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable.

'Perfect Day' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid.

Overall, great fun. 9/10 Bethany Cox

So says Mrs. Hardy when itemizing the food items to bring for a picnic on this 'perfect day.' Spotting details like this is one of the charms of watching really old films. Who knew potato chips would be a common food staple already in 1929?

Plot In a Nutshell: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, their wives and a reluctant "uncle Edgar" plan a picnic on a lovely Sunday afternoon. If you know Laurel & Hardy, you know that's not going to happen...

Why I rated it an '8': this was another very good short from L&H. Not among their very best I wouldn't say, but close enough. There are mishaps with the picnic sandwiches, mishaps with uncle Edgar's gout-ridden foot, mishaps with the family dog....and that's before they even get in their temperamental Model T car. Now the possibilities are endless. Flat tires, sputtering engines...add in incompetent Stan and you get the idea. There is even a small 'mutual destruction' sequence with a neighbor that only ends when a local minister's sudden appearance nips it in the bud. Overall a pretty amusing 20 minutes.

Favorite scene: the family dog vigorously attacking uncle Edgar's bandaged foot. I don't know how they got the dog to be so aggressive, but it was freakin' hilarious!

8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: That's easy. Yes!

'Perfect Day' is pretty much the typical Laurel and Hardy comedy with the usual slapstick and jokes. However, unlike their other works, I found 'Perfect Day' to be comparatively weak. Some of the slapstick works well but some just don't gel well and look forced. Also the repetitive 'goodbye' and other gags gets irritating. I liked the interactions with Uncle Edgar and the dog and the trouble with the car. Laurel and Hardy are good at drawing some laughter but for me it was Laurel again who steals the show. Edgar Kennedy too stands out especially when he's fighting the dog. I don't mean to make it sound as though it is a terrible film because it's not. It does have its good moments but it's far from Laurel and Hardy's best.

Oliver, Stan and their extended family decide to go for a drive and have a picnic given that it is such perfect weather for it. However a series of events starting with an injured foot, a faulty car and many misunderstandings mean that it is harder to bid their neighbours farewell than they'd hoped.

Although slapstick must seem very simply humour (it is, after all, people falling over) it actually must be very difficult to do. In this case it all centres round a picnic trip although the car goes no further than it's parking space for the majority of the film. To come up with a 20 minutes sketch around this is hard work, but yet Laurel & hardy manage to pull it off. The jokes are all quite obvious and none are out of nowhere or very funny, but it all works quite well.

The funniest bit to me was the punchline – both Laurel & Hardy keep straight faces and do it like real professionals and make the final shot funnier than it actually is. Both the leads are good but the material requires a lot more setting up which means you can often see the gag about a mile away and it takes away form it a little. The support cast are all pretty ordinary but perform their tasks adequately as really we are watching the lead two. Kennedy's contribution is easily the best as he does battle with a foot bandage and an angry dog.

Overall this is an enjoyable short despite the fact that the humour is very staged and doesn't flow as easily as much of their stuff. The punchline is good but some of the material just seems to be lacking that spark. That said, it is still worth a watch.

This Laurel & Hardy short feature has quite a variety of slapstick material. Most of it is rough physical humor - such as sore feet getting trodden upon and bricks being thrown through windows - but there are plenty of different, funny gags with a couple of subtle ones thrown in. Stan and Ollie are planning on taking their wives and their uncle (Edgar Kennedy) for a nice peaceful picnic, a "Perfect Day". They encounter difficulties even before getting out the door, and once they get into the car, the real chaos starts. Stanley has a very funny bit trying to change a tire, and there is a nicely done subtle joke when, in the midst of a heated 'tit-for-tat' battle with a neighbor, everyone suddenly jumps up and runs inside - what did they see? "Perfect Day" is a good comedy and worth a look.