Ruggles of Red Gap

Probably my favorite movie ever

Just looking at Charles Laughton makes me laugh! Brilliantly subtle comedy mixing the best of British and American styles when a English butler is lost in a card game and has to go out into the American west to serve a bunch of new-rich fakers. It's not only incredibly funny, but it's got an emotional tone when Laughton starts breaking out finding himself! And one can't complain about the rest of the cast either, even if it is Laughton that is this comedy! A very memorable and appealing story!

Laughton is hilarious, man those eye movements always cracked me up. Sweet snappy dialogue, a heartfelt story that's never too cheesy. Just a damn great funny movie.

Heart warming.

Very much against the crowd on this one. I thought it was awful with Laughton hopelessly miscast and mugging horrendously, way too much reliance on stereotypical behaviour and carry on to try (and fail) to generate a laugh. This has aged very badly.

Charles Laughton serves face, sells American dream.

Seen 2x

88.50

American Tourists in Europe: Proudly being loud and drunk since 1908! Nothing revelatory here, but it's probably the best take on the comedy-of-manners subgenre I've seen yet, with a subtly great performance from Laughton and some great deliveries from the appropriately named Charlie Ruggles. It's both a little problematic and ironic that a country still under the grips of Jim Crow segregation is held up to be the model of freedom, class-mobility and self-determination.

One of the better comedies of the early talkies, thanks to its measured approach to an explosive premise on the cusp of fish-out-of-water, culture-clash comedy-of-manners. Its strong story peppered with wry, natural, often unexpected humor made me laugh out loud quite a bit. The delivery deserves just as much credit as the cast is sensational, led by beacon of excellence Charles Laughton.

Just remarkably funny and charming in old-school fashion, anchored by a simply astonishing Laughton performance, so perfect that small changes of his facial expression or body can result in big laughter.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

Hilarious.

It's all about Charles Laughton's brilliant performance - the almost unsettling stare, the low mumble, those brief moments where he loses his composure. He's just a wonderful actor.

What a neat surprise! As a comedy, "Ruggles of Red Gap" is filled to the brim with wisecracking dialogue but it also struck a personal chord with its poignant reflections on independence and personal identity. Both are effortlessly woven into a humorous, touching, all-around great film.

"Leo McCarey's masterpiece is a schizo, slack-jawed, preemptive rejoinder to Frank Capra's saintly sober "everyman."" - Joseph Jon Lanthier

Charles Ruggles as Egbert is the funniest performance I've ever seen in any film outside of The Big Lebowski.

One of Charles Laughton's best. Ruggles, Young and Pitts are great in support.

There are some good comedic moments and a well told story but the acting is hit and miss and the entire picture feels rather dated.