College (1927)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 1
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 2,288
My Rating
Movie Info
The silent comedy feature College stars Buster Keaton as a scholarly young man who doesn't know beans about sports. When he arrives in college, Buster finds that all the Big Men on Campus are jocks. To impress pretty coed Anne Cornwall, Buster tries and fails to join all the school teams. Even when he attempts to take a job at the campus soda fountain, Buster is a washout. Through the kindness of dean Snitz Edwards, Keaton is placed on the varsity rowing team where, despite several clumsy
Sep 10, 1927 Wide
Nov 20, 2001
United Artists
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Cast
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Buster Keaton
Ronald -
Anne Cornwall
Mary Haines -
Flora Bramley
Mary's Friend -
Harold Goodwin
Jeff Brown a Rival -
Grant Withers
Jeff's Friend -
Buddy Mason
Jeff's Friend -
Snitz Edwards
The Dean -
Carl Harbaugh
Crew Coach -
Sam Crawford
Baseball Coach -
Florence Turner
Ronald's Mother -
Lee Barnes
Keaton's Double for Pol... -
-
-
-
-
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Morton Kaer
Himself -
Erick Mack
Himself -
USC Baseball Team
Themselves -
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All Critics (16) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (2) | DVD (2)
Minor Keaton but major almost any other comedian.
Top CriticKeaton himself strives to be funny, but his actions are so frightfully absurd that it strikes one that the character he plays never ought to be out of an asylum.
Buster on the playing field, failing gloriously at every sport but executing each one beautifully when he dashes to his girl's rescue, is a study in precision and grace.
Arguably the most underrated work of cinema's greatest director, Buster Keaton's College is swift, hilarious, hopeful, defiant, and ultimately life-affirming.
Cartesian slapstick
A fine and funny film.
Minor Keaton slapstick comedy.
Madcap fun as the supremely athletic Keaton plays a bookworm who, for love of a jock-loving girl, tries but fails heroically at every possible sport in every possible way.
it's not the General but it's a treasure
A classic comedy with Keaton in top acrobatic form.
Great Keaton vehicle.
The finale ties earlier elements together in a clever way, but the episodic film doesn't match the best of Keaton's films that establish a more cohesive storyline
Audience Reviews for College
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Foreign Titles
- College - der Musterschüler (DE)
- College (1927) (UK)
I thought the anti-intellectualism inherent in this story was off-putting. The man committed to the intellectual life was demeaned - the object of his affections rejects him and even the dean of the college pities him enough to manipulate the coach of the rowing team to include poor Ronald. The film ultimately supports the idea that intellect for its own sake is a meaningless pursuit.
Additionally, much of the middle part of the film is dedicated to Keaton slapstick. He awkwardly attempts to play baseball, unable to field a simple grounder, and flummoxes various track and field events. However, the climax, during which Keaton's character performs all of the sports feats flawlessly, was exciting, but it took so long to reach that payoff.
Overall, I recommend watching the last fifteen minutes of College or a stronger Keaton film, The General.