User Reviews

In his pre-Laurel and Hardy days, Stan Laurel starred in a long string of short comedies. Some were exceptional (such as DR. PYCKLE AND MR. PRYDE) but most were average at best. He certainly didn't give Keaton, Lloyd or Chaplin a run for their money during this era.

Well, MANDARIN MIX-UP is no exception to this pattern of general mediocrity. While there are a few minor jokes, none are all that funny and it's hard to get excited about this film. The funniest bit might be in the beginning where Stan plays a baby (reminiscent of his later film, BRATS) and how he came to be raised by Chinese immigrants. Like in THE JERK, Stan seemed to have no idea that these were not his real kinfolk! But apart from that, the rest of the film is not especially inspired and had many typical jokes of the era about Tong wars.

Overall, watchable but not especially memorable or funny.

This short starts off with some promise, but sadly goes downhill quite fast. In the beginning, we see the "baby" Stan Laurel sitting in a high chair, fighting with his older brother (who, oddly enough, looks like a young Oliver Hardy) at the dinner table. Seeing a full grown Stan acting like, and dressed up as, a baby in a bonnet and spit curl is quite amusing.

Baby Stan flings a spoon full of food toward his big brother, and the brother responds by throwing him into a laundry bag that is taken to the Chinese laundry. The movie continues with Stan all grown up, working at the Chinese laundry as a fellow called Sum Sap.

Most of the gags and plot (if you can call it that) fall flat. The most amusing gags are when Stan tries to get into the bunk bed in the room he shares with several people. In typical Stan Laurel fashion, he makes the simple task of getting into bed look like a nearly impossible feat. Once he's finally on his top bunk, he lays down and moments later gets high on the opium the fellow beneath him is smoking. He jumps buildings and floats around Chinatown, chasing after his hallucination of the China Girl. But even those gags lack the rib-cracking humor Stan would perfect in later years.

He manages to make The Tong angry with him, and tries to escape using not-so-clever disguises. One would think the master of comedy would make this scenario hilarious, but dear Stan unfortunately fails to deliver. Everything after the opium scene is darn near excruciating to watch. It's almost a relief when the end comes (He marries his China Girl and is reunited with his real, rich family).

It pains me to give such a low rating to a Stan Laurel film, but it is a terribly dull short and would only be of interest to die hard Stan Laurel and L&H fans. 3/10. Sorry Stanley :(.