- The first and last fifteen minutes of Steamboat Bill, Jr. are terrific. Considering that the film clocks in at only a little over an hour, that's not a bad average. The hilarity begins when Steamboat Bill, Sr. (Ernest Torrence) first meets his long-lost son, William Canfield, Jr. (Buster Keaton). To put it bluntly, the apple could not possibly have fallen further from the tree. Steamboat Bill is a burly bulk of a steamboat captain, and his son is a scrawny lad whose appearance suggests the latest in Parisian fashion. The dad does everything he can to help his son to fit in, but young Bill's clumsiness and romantic interest in the competitor's daughter (Marion Byron) make it difficult.
- Now there are some funny bits here and there in the middle of the film, but Keaton saved most of the really great stuff for the film's famous ending. When the storm rolls in, Steamboat Bill, Jr. really takes off. Buildings crumble like they're made of matchsticks, while trees and beds lift off the ground as though they're completely weightless. In the film's most iconic scene, one entire side of a building comes crashing down on top of young Bill, whose life is spared by a fortuitously placed window. To be honest, I don't care how some of these stunts were accomplished--the bottom line is that they must have been dangerous. It's a shame that the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to Keaton's usual high standards, but at least he ended his last independent film on a high note.
