Horse Feathers

97% 30 Reviews Tomatometer 86% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score The Marx Brothers take on higher education and football in this riotous comedy. The newly minted president of Huxley University, Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx), is getting pressure from his son Frank (Zeppo Marx) to improve the football squad at the school. Frank thinks his father should recruit two professional ball players so Huxley can finally defeat their gridiron rival, Darwin. But when Wagstaff hires the wrong guys, suddenly a pair of bootleggers are wreaking havoc as undergrads. Read More Read Less

Horse Feathers

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Critics Consensus

Horse Feathers finds the Marx Brothers in fine madcap form, taking aim at an array of timely targets while serving up classic set pieces.

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Audience Reviews

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Chuck J Very funny,great lines and ridiculous plot to entertain. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review David B Outrageously fun, a true comedy classic. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/23/23 Full Review Taylor L As I see more of their work, it's becoming more apparent just how formulaic the Marx Brothers were (as most comedy routines, and even full studio production departments, tended to be at the time); Groucho does his rapid-fire joke schtick, Chico helps him out by making him look funnier by comparison, and Harpo smoothes over all the rough patches with the real gold, the physical comedy. And Zeppo might also be there for some reason. Physical comedy is essentially the most timeless aspect of film, it's why Chaplin can still get laughs all these years later even when film as a medium has evolved so much. That's partly why Harpo looks like such a genius compared to his brothers in retrospect, even if Groucho was redefining the medium with spoken jokes that had never been seen before, because the former was building off of what had been pioneered during the Silent Era and vaudeville. Even taking that into account, it's tough to enjoy Groucho to his full extent, partly because his jokes rely on a lot of wordplay that isn't really part of common vernacular anymore, and partly because he didn't really opt for good comedic delivery as much as he just spoke very quickly and expected the audience to mistake whiplash for good writing. When the joke deluge works, it's great. When it doesn't, it's alienating. It's a classic, but in the same mold as other Marx Brothers films that are probably better all-around. (3/5) Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/03/22 Full Review Ethan S Some of what is on display here will be done with greater aplomb in later films (most notably Duck Soup) but the Marxes are in fine madcap form here. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/03/22 Full Review joel h If you're a fan of the Marx Brothers' comedy, you'll like Horse Feathers. But if you're a fan of the Marx Brothers, you've probably already seen this movie. It features the usual fast-talking setups and punchlines peppered with slapstick. It's also barely over an hour long, so even if you're not enjoying it, it will be over soon. This comedy is definitely dated, but there's still something amusing about these movies. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review william d Duck Soup remains my favorite Marx Brothers movie, but this one is great too. "I know, but it's no fun keeping him after school." Classic. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

Cast & Crew

Norman Z. McLeod Director Groucho Marx Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff Harpo Marx Pinky Chico Marx Baravelli Zeppo Marx Frank Wagstaff Thelma Todd Connie Bailey

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Horse Feathers: Official Clip - Three's a Crowd