Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- breezy
- absurd
- classic movie night
- family comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as an enjoyable, brisk Laurel and Hardy vehicle whose strongest moments come from its physical comedy and musical charm, despite a patchy and dated comic approach.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Stan and Ollie enlist together, endure military punishment together, and escape through shared bumbling rather than abandoning one another.
The duo's Foreign Legion duties, desertion charge, firing-squad sentence, and stolen-airplane escape repeatedly turn minor errors into physical disasters.
The Foreign Legion's discipline, command structure, desertion proceedings, and execution sentence become machinery for Laurel and Hardy's farcical misadventures.
The film is presented in black and white and foregrounds the performers' readable gestures, timing, and full-body slapstick.
Films like The Flying Deuces, and why
Sons of the Desert
classic slapstick comedy built around physical mishaps, escalating misunderstandings, and an inseparable comic duo
Way Out West
Laurel and Hardy buddy comedy featuring incompetence, male friendship, and tightly orchestrated physical gags
The General
fast-paced vintage slapstick centered on mistaken schemes, comic danger, and a charismatic comedy partnership
Duck Soup
black-and-white military farce combining bumbling comradeship, institutional absurdity, and broad physical humor
Movie Details
- Director
- A. Edward Sutherland
- Release Date
- 1939-11-03
- Runtime
- 69 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (185)
Cast
- Stan Laurel
- Oliver Hardy
- Jean Parker
- Reginald Gardiner
- Charles Middleton
- Jean Del Val
- Crane Whitley
- James Finlayson
- Monica Bannister
- Bonnie Bannon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Dove Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Flying Deuces about?
- Heartbroken Ollie drags loyal Stan into the Foreign Legion, where romantic despair and military discipline collapse into a delirious slapstick escape by air.
- What is The Flying Deuces like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Flying Deuces as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Flying Deuces violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Flying Deuces as mild.
- What did critics think of The Flying Deuces?
- Critics broadly regard it as an enjoyable, brisk Laurel and Hardy vehicle whose strongest moments come from its physical comedy and musical charm, despite a patchy and dated comic approach.
- Which films are like The Flying Deuces?
- Films with a similar feel include Sons of the Desert, Way Out West, The General, and Duck Soup.
- How long is The Flying Deuces?
- The Flying Deuces runs 69 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Flying Deuces?
- In United States, The Flying Deuces streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Dove Amazon Channel.
