A Simple Sap

In the early 1920s, Larry Semon was on top of the world. While not among the very best in the field, he was among the best and his energetic comedies were very entertaining. In light of this, it's easy to see what a huge disappointment "A Simple Sap" is. It's a very tired film. I do not mean Simon looks tire, but the gags sure do. Many of them are identical to those he did long ago...but done as if they're going through the motions and there's no originality. Same with the egg animated sequence...something he'd already done before several times.

The story mostly involves people hitting each other and throwing things at each other....very basic and undemanding comedy. Is there anything I liked about it? Hmmm...not really. While not the worst comedy I've seen, it's among Semon's worst and soon after Semon either died or faked his own death. Seriously...read the IMDB biography on him. Soon after making it, he did one or the other in order to avoid massive debts.

When this film (which, sadly, proved to be Larry Semon's last) was first released (February, 1928) critics grumbled that it was ten years behind the times. Seen today, however, it's still a lively and very funny slapstick comedy. Among connoisseurs of silent film comedy it's generally agreed that Semon's brief but impressive career got off the track because he didn't change with the times, but while it's true that too many Semon films seen too close together do show some repetitiveness, when viewed separately by modern audiences Semon's silent comedies can hold their own against those of any other silent comedian.