The Love Nest (1923)

This was the last short Buster Keaton made before making the switch to feature films.  Overall, I’d say it’s a fairly good midrange short – Buster’s fatigue with the format can be felt (he was definitely ready to move on to bigger and better films,) but it also offers up some good gags and has a lot of fun.

Buster, jilted by his girl, has decided to take his broken heart on a ‘round-the-world boating excursion.  Of course, it’s only a few days before his little motor boat is short on supplies, and, in dire straits, he’s rescued by a whaling ship (the titular Love Nest.)  The main bent of the short comes from the captain, a notorious hothead who deals with minor screw-ups by throwing the sailors in question overhead.  Now, since Buster is obviously clumsy and disaster-prone, he has his work cut out for him in terms of staying alive aboard the ship.

The short’s best bits are those that deal with this central idea.  The captain himself (played by frequent Buster collaborator Big Joe Roberts) has some fun running gags surrounding the whole “the punishment is always capital” system; I like his routine of crossing off the names of deceased crew, and the short mines some fine humor from his abundant supply of wreaths on hand for eulogizing those who’ve displeased him.  Along with that, Buster’s attempts to avoid getting thrown overboard are all pretty enjoyable, whether by running away, fighting back, or trying to disguise his executionable offenses. 

As usual, his methods are inventive and silly.  Having seen one crewman thrown to his death for spilling hot coffee on the captain, Buster is determined not to make the same mistake.  He also pulls off a terrific save when he accidentally points a gun at the captain (don’t you just hate it when you do that?), and there’s a fantastic scene with a lifeboat in which he pretty decisively makes the mountain come to Muhammad. 

On the less-stellar side, the short feels sort of meandering, especially towards the end.  While nearly everything aboard the Love Nest is a winner, the jokes aren’t as sharp and the story isn’t as focused whenever we stray away from the ship.  The last few minutes are the worst offenders – the short seems to have about three different endings, like Buster realized the second reel wasn’t long enough and kept adding on to fill out the remaining film.  Considering what a punch Buster’s final scenes can pack, that’s a little disappointing.

I wouldn’t say it seriously drags down the short, however.  The stretched-out endings are still amusing (Buster trying to kick a fish will never not be funny!)  They just don’t come together as cohesively as the main segment of the story, which is where the short’s highlights lie.

Warnings

Slapstick violence and presumed offscreen deaths.