A fairly weak effort from the Marx brothers. Plot is random, and skits seem formulaic. The music was irritating. There are a few good moments, but not enough to make it worth watching.

'At the Circus' is without a doubt one of the Brother's lesser films if we are comparing it to the heights of their career. It's a odd picture which I don't think really understood the talents of the Marx Brothers and how to best utilize them to their full effect. The Brothers are always entertaining and always have their moments but 'At the Circus' does not put them in the best positions to deliver their humor. It mainly has to do with the thin plot but also MGM's insistence on molding the Brothers to their formula.One does not go into the Marx Brothers films to enjoy a gripping narrative. In all honesty it can be argued if the Marx Brothers films were ever really about anything. The Marx Brothers are always about a formula and rhythm. The formula was chaos. The Brothers are at their best when they upset the established order and ridicule snobby figures who think they have great dignity. Stefan Kanfer makes an excellent point in his biography of Groucho that 'At the Circus' is crippled by the fact that the circus is a lowbrow dirty place. The Brothers don't really loudly stand out. The picture has some nice moments in the circus. Harpo has fun pantomiming a strongman act and Chico and Groucho have a great bit about finding an incriminating cigar but the humor in the first part of the film isn't bold and it isn't loud. It's just a lot of standard fare. It just seems really sort of odd to place the Marx Brothers at a place like the circus. They are at their best when they cause chaos with the upper classes. I say this but the movie eventually has the good sense to bring Margaret Dumont back into the picture. When Groucho goes to Margaret Dumont's mansion it is as good as ever. And I can't blast the circus setting entirely. The Marx Brothers actually had the audacity to blast her out of a cannon at the end of it.The mixed bag is that this is an MGM production. MGM was the gold standard of Hollywood at this time and it does have moments where it helps 'At the Circus'. The set pieces are all huge and the scope is far bigger than the arguably superior Paramount pictures. Groucho and the boys would never have been able to play with a huge Circus and have a floating bandstand in an earlier film. The trade off is the love story that Irving Thalberg insisted had to be included in every Marx film. The problem is Thalberg is in his grave by this point. I think even he would admit that Kenny Baker and Florence Rice's duet of 'Two Blind Loves' was nightmarishly sugary. The Marx Brothers are always entertaining even in a lesser effort. 'At the Circus' is really middle of the road. They made worse movies. Personally I prefer seeing Groucho torment Margaret Dumont or Sig Ruman at the height of his skill with a more subversive edge. See 'Night at the Opera' instead which is what 'At the Circus' aspired to be.

Imagine. Bad songs written by the "Wizard of Oz" songwriters. Too much music! Very cliché, even for The Marx. Bros! Lowlights: mostly the music. Chico's piano solo and a very "racist" swing number, easily "deleted" even with Harpo's harp! Curiously, about 10 minutes of actual "circus", or so it seems. Worst makeup ever on the midget and strongman (fake mustaches and wigs). Contrived plot involving stolen money, and of course the circus will fold if it isn't found. The usual "highjinks" with Margaret Dumont and Groucho. Best scenes involve the boys and the whole thing "stinks" when they are not around. Several "highlights" make it watchable: Eve Arden as gorgeous "Peerless Pauline" walks on the ceiling with Groucho. The famous "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" song. Lion, monkey and gorilla jokes. Chico and Groucho look for the stolen $10,000 and destroy the strongman's sleeping room on the train. The last 10 minutes is sheer madness. "Goliath" the gorilla chasing the crook and everybody else up the flying trapezes and Margarent Dumont shot out of a cannon! The gorilla (played by Charles Gemora) is fantastic. He counts the money at the end like a bank teller. Look for Friz Feld as the snooty French conductor. He is best known for playing "the French waiter" in countless films, over the years!

The Marx Brothers themselves are a maniacal circus, so it is only fitting that they would be the stars of the MGM feature "At the Circus", and for a latter-day Marx Bros. film, this one is very good, in my opinion. Groucho as usual is uninhibited with wordplay, sexual innuendo, and insults for his consistent foil Margaret Dumont (but try not to be distracted by Groucho's awful hairpiece). Bearing the snazzy name of J. Cheever Loophole, Groucho supposedly portrays an attorney hired to help a traveling circus recover its stolen income. As circus employees, Harpo and Chico are allotted plenty of opportunities to apply their unique brands of comedy. And the two romantic leads, played by Kenny Baker (as Jeff Wilson, circus owner) and Florence Rice (as Julie Randall, performer) are very likable, except for that really corny musical number called "Two Blind Loves" that they sing together ("Step Up and Take a Bow" is considerably better). The rest of the cast, like the circus itself, is quite colorful.Probably the greatest highlight of "At the Circus" is Groucho's vocalizing one of his most beloved standbys for the remainder of his career: "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"! As you listen to Groucho (as Mr. Loophole) sing the tune, notice how everyone else around him (particularly Harpo) joins in the barrel of fun. Other highlights: Did I just say "barrel"? Well, Chico (as Antonio "Tony" Ferrelli) provides his one-of-a-kind ivory-tickling rendition of the Beer Belly, er, the Beer Barrel Polka, complete with his hard-to-resist smile and wink to the camera. (It amazes me that Chico was able to smile at all, what with the enormous wads of cash he blew away with his compulsive gambling.) Punchy (Harpo) plays checkers while a friendly seal "coaches" him. Loophole and Antonio go through a badge bit at the train station, during which the puns & horseplay never stop. While Loophole is trying to trap a cigar-smoking little person into a confession, Antonio is too dimwitted to realize that he is bungling Loophole's plan. The wild rope/trapeze chase at the end (to the musical accompaniment of "Tiger Rag") is hilarious, particularly with Gibraltar the gorilla starting the whole commotion. And although African-Americans today would be outraged seeing people of their race degrading themselves in this film, I must admit that "Swingali" is not a bad jazz number.A few gags in "At the Circus" don't really work, particularly the lengthy sequence of Tony and Punchy searching a bedroom belonging to an arrogant muscle man, but not to worry. For anybody who enjoys a good circus, this Marx Bros. film is a special treat, as sweet as the lemonade we might sip with all the popcorn.