Review of Seven Chances (1925) by John S — 08 Mar 2012

The very popular and repeatedly remade story has Buster's character Jimmie Shannon inheriting seven million dollars, but with a catch: he has to get married that day by 7 pm.

Seven Chances is a rather interesting experience. The first half of the film is unfortunately, quite boring. A large bulk of the jokes are cliche and dated, but Buster manages to bring his own unique flavor to them that adds a bit to the experience. The entire story arc is based on misunderstandings, a writing tool in the Classic Era that I personally despite, so I found it to be frustrating and uneasy. There are a couple or so pretty funny and great parts, but honestly I was struggling with the entire first half. It may just be a matter of preference, meaning to say, just because I didn't care for it, doesn't mean you won't either.

But thank heavens for the last part of the film. The last 25 minutes or so of this film is one long glorious chase scene. It rivals Cops as one of the greatest chase scenes in Buster's career (and cinema history to boot) with hundreds and hundreds of extras involved. It's quite the sight to behold. The combination of Buster's ambitious feat, unwavering athletic ability, physical humor, precise body language, and knack for sight gags, is incredible. It all comes together in the final scene which is surprisingly heart-warming and adorable.

Despite a shaky first half, the overall cinematic experience that Seven Chances gives you is fantastic. It's hard to forgive the first half of it's mediocrity and contrived story arcs, but it's not hard to cherish this film for it's last moments, which are evidence of Buster's genius.