Overview
A college president's unconventional methods lead to a chaotic football showdown.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- exuberant
- classic comedy night
- sports movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as riotously entertaining, praising its originality and the Marx Brothers’ singular comic chemistry despite a slight and trivial plot.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wagstaff treats the college presidency and education as opportunities for irreverence, while the football rivalry collapses into anarchic farce.
The recruitment scheme, mistaken players, kidnapping attempt, and football finale turn college athletics into sustained comic chaos.
Groucho, Chico, and Harpo’s contrasting comic personas propel the film through dense jokes, wordplay, and physical interruptions.
The Paramount production uses black-and-white imagery, musical performance, broad staging, and uninhibited pre-code comic irreverence.
Films like Horse Feathers, and why
Duck Soup
shared anarchic slapstick, rapid-fire verbal wit, ensemble absurdity, and pre-code comedy energy
A Night at the Opera
shared Marx Brothers comic disruption, musical interludes, romantic subplot, and irreverent satire
The Freshman
shared sports parody, screwball humor, physical comedy, and chaotic ensemble escalation
Movie Details
- Director
- Norman Z. McLeod
- Release Date
- 1932-08-19
- Runtime
- 68 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (259)
Cast
- Groucho Marx
- Harpo Marx
- Chico Marx
- Zeppo Marx
- Thelma Todd
- David Landau
- Bobby Barber
- Reginald Barlow
- Vince Barnett
- Sheila Bromley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Horse Feathers about?
- The Marx Brothers turn a college football rivalry into a whirlwind of mistaken recruits, musical mayhem, and gleeful institutional sabotage.
- What is Horse Feathers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Horse Feathers as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Horse Feathers violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Horse Feathers as mild.
- What did critics think of Horse Feathers?
- Critics broadly regard the film as riotously entertaining, praising its originality and the Marx Brothers’ singular comic chemistry despite a slight and trivial plot.
- Which films are like Horse Feathers?
- Films with a similar feel include Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera, and The Freshman.
- How long is Horse Feathers?
- Horse Feathers runs 68 minutes.
- Where can I watch Horse Feathers?
- In United States, Horse Feathers streams on YouTube TV.
