Some nice stuntwork using a 3-story building as a prop - Buster scales up to the top-floor almost like an inchworm, glides between buildings using clotheslines, and stands atop a 3 person tower going into and out of the buildings, which was especially clever. He also shoots down the stairway railing headfirst in one scene, and it's in these moments that this short is at its best. I also liked the topical baseball reference, a sport Keaton adored, as he peeps into a ballpark with Babe Ruth at the plate - 1920 was the year Ruth homered 54 times, higher than the total of 14 of the 15 other major league teams. Check out the ball he picks up, which looks larger than a modern ball. As for the romance with the woman across the way (Virginia Fox) and the wedding in which his oversized pants won't stay up, it's a little less interesting. The film is also marred a bit by casual racism, with a black family frightened by Buster emerging from his hiding place in a sheet. Overall, certainly worth seeing for the stuntwork.
Review of Neighbors
