Les Joies du mariage

It has been a year since Laurel and Hardy married each other's sisters. They stay at home for a nice quiet meal, but the tensions between this close knit family bubble up as things go wrong during the meal.

At the start of the film I felt that the duo dressed in drag would be a gimmick that wasn't used well, happily I was wrong and they use it well. It isn't just them mugging in girl's clothes, it is more a chance for them to play the same characters twice as, essentially, their sisters are them same as them! This works well and the dynamics between the two sisters are the same as between the two men.

The comedy is given a fresh feel by this mix, which is good because it is lacking in other areas. The banter is not at it's best and the physical work is not as imaginative as at their best. In their dual roles both Laurel and Hardy are good – the badly dubbed women's voices take a little getting used to but don't detract too much.

Overall this is an amusing short. Not their funniest short, but the twist of them playing each other's sisters helps freshen it all up a little bit.