Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

100% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
91% of users liked it
(4,939 ratings)

Not the best of Buster Keaton's silents, Steamboat Bill, Jr. nonetheless contains some of Keaton's best and most spectacular sight gags. Keaton plays Willie Canfield, the namby-pamby son of rough-and-tumble steamboat captain "Steamboat Bill" Canfield (Ernest Torrence). When he's not trying to make a… More Not the best of Buster Keaton's silents, Steamboat Bill, Jr. nonetheless contains some of Keaton's best and most spectacular sight gags. Keaton plays Willie Canfield, the namby-pamby son of rough-and-tumble steamboat captain "Steamboat Bill" Canfield (Ernest Torrence). When he's not trying to make a man out of his boy, the captain is carrying on a feud with Tom Carter (Tom McGuire), the wealthy owner of a fancy new ferryboat. Carter has a pretty daughter, Mary King (Marion Byron), with whom Willie falls in love. The two younger folks try to patch up the feud, but this seems impossible once the captain is jailed for punching out Carter. Willie tries ineptly to bust his dad out of jail, only to wind up in the hospital while trying to escape the law. As Willie lies unconscious in bed, a huge cyclone hits town, knocking down tall buildings like kindling. Upon awakening, he does his best to remain standing as the winds buffet him about. He takes refuge in a tree, which is promptly uprooted and blown toward the waterfront. Here is where Willie proves his manhood -- and ends the feud between Steamboat Bill and Carter -- by rescuing practically everyone in the cast from a watery grave. Steamboat Bill, Jr. would be memorable if only for one eye-popping (and dangerously real) sight gag: as the cyclone rages, the facade of a three-story building collapses upon Keaton -- who is saved only because the upstairs window has been left open! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Charles Reisner, Buster Keaton
Written By: Carl Harbaugh
Genres: Action & Adventure, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: May 20, 1928 Wide
On DVD: Nov 20, 2001

Critic Reviews

Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
The extended rescue climax provides the heights of Steamboat Bill, Jr.'s ingenious choreography, but Keaton's brilliance as a performer shines just as brightly (if not more) in the simpler moments...[Blu-ray]
Bill Weber, Slant Magazine
Against the wind and the death throes of silent comedy, Keaton stands tall.
Dan Jardine, Cinemania
Worth it for the storm sequence alone, which is staggering in its audacity, and Shakespearean in its execution.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Quase oitenta anos já se passaram, mas a agilidade e a coragem de Keaton continuam a impressionar neste filme que ainda surpreende, encanta e diverte.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
One of the greatest of the silent comedies about the effects of parental rejection.
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
Boasts the most astonishing and indelible images in Keaton's body of work, and some of the best moments in movie history… wildly inventive, increasingly audacious stunts.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
A wildly creative comedy that has as much power to impress and amuse an audience today as it did in '28.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Contains what is perhaps Buster Keaton's most fully realized act of comedic anarchy.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Another great movie from Keaton. This one has some really exciting and funny sight gags. Keaton fans can't miss out on this movie.
Stella D

and he does his own stunts! did this guy make any bad films?
Matthew Y

This film is all about the set pieces, stunt work, and camera magic that pull off the special effects, the storm scene in particular. The story is rather weak and the characters uncompelling. Keaton's performance and top notch sight gags raise the film above it's… More
This film is all about the set pieces, stunt work, and camera magic that pull off the special effects, the storm scene in particular. The story is rather weak and the characters uncompelling. Keaton's performance and top notch sight gags raise the film above it's shortcomings. Even Keaton on an off day towers over the comics of today.
Chris B

Another amazing Buster Keaton film and filled with some of the most ornate and dangerous site gags ever captured on film. The film is only 70 minutes long but makes a ton of hilarious set pieces and stunts within the aforementioned runtime. While it isn't my favorites Keaton film… More
Another amazing Buster Keaton film and filled with some of the most ornate and dangerous site gags ever captured on film. The film is only 70 minutes long but makes a ton of hilarious set pieces and stunts within the aforementioned runtime. While it isn't my favorites Keaton film to date, that honor is The General, it is nonetheless spectacularly and a wonder to behold. Films like this literally take you back in time with them and viewers get an inside look at the past. This was the first of my introductions of Buster Keaton to my brother Jon, who saw the film for what it is and with an open mind, fell in love with it. Highly Recommended!
Jared H

Although the overall concept, from beginning to end, wasn't nearly as ingenious as that of "The General," it's just impossible not to have a good time while watching Buster Keaton do what he does. The storm sequence in the last act of the movie was really amazing.… More
Although the overall concept, from beginning to end, wasn't nearly as ingenious as that of "The General," it's just impossible not to have a good time while watching Buster Keaton do what he does. The storm sequence in the last act of the movie was really amazing. To think that they filmed it in 1928 just blows my mind. That iconic sequence alone makes this movie worth watching.
MJS M

There are few who will dispute that Buster Keaton is a master stuntman, and this movie displays that as well as anything. The extreme physical comedy that Keaton puts himself through is really breathtaking in many ways, particularly during the iconic cyclone scene. There?s also a… More
There are few who will dispute that Buster Keaton is a master stuntman, and this movie displays that as well as anything. The extreme physical comedy that Keaton puts himself through is really breathtaking in many ways, particularly during the iconic cyclone scene. There?s also a pretty neat story about fathers and sons here and there?s a good performance by Ernest Torrence which almost upstages Keaton, at least in the non stunt scenes. It?s hard to argue against this movie, but while I watched it I couldn?t help but be solidified in my somewhat unhip view that Chaplin was, on the whole, the better filmmaker of the two great clowns. Chaplin?s movies made real attempts at pathos, while Keaton?s movies just kind of seem like elaborate and very well staged stunt shows by comparison.