Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

College

Released Jul 30, 1927 1h 5m Comedy List
91% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Brilliant in his studies and dismissive of athletics, Ronald (Buster Keaton) finishes high school at the top of his class. But in college his uptight attitude doesn't win him any points with his sports-loving classmates, and pretty coed Mary (Anne Cornwall) ignores him in favor of brutish jock Jeff (Harold Goodwin). Hoping to impress Mary, Ronald makes a buffoon of himself at every sport imaginable, usually at Jeff's hand. But Ronald gets a final shot at glory in a big rowing race.
Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

Where to Watch

College

Critics Reviews

View All (22) Critics Reviews
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune The movie is worth seeing for a lot of reasons, one of them being the weirdly elegant pratfall Keaton takes on the baseball diamond when he gets clipped by an opposing player sliding into third. Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 16, 2015 Full Review Tom Milne Time Out Minor Keaton but major almost any other comedian. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Mordaunt Hall New York Times Keaton 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. Rated: 2/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Pare Lorentz Judge There are so many good things about Buster Keaton’s romantic comedy, College, that the only thing I can say is: see it. Not only is Keaton uproariously funny in this new picture, but you will find the picture is intelligently made. Dec 27, 2023 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia This is a entertaining comedy that, in my opinion, hits the high point of fun in the sports stunts that demonstrate Keaton's expertise for the craziest slapstick. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Dec 13, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy College is no match for Harold Lloyd's similarly themed 1925 masterpiece The Freshman, but it contains no small measure of uproarious sequences. Rated: 3/4 Jan 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (94) audience reviews
Chris M Plot wise there isn't much here. But each of the sports he tries and fails at is a good example of the kind of slapstick genius Buster Keaton was. It can drag a lot too and has some mild character issues. But overall, it's a classic that should be know farther than the crowd of film buffs that watch silent movies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review bill t Fairly lightweight Keaton movie here as he plays a high school graduate (!!!) wanting to still impress the girl of his dreams. So he goes to the same college as her. Problem is, she wants a jock. So Keaton does the usual collage of gags failing at sports. Amusing, but certainly not classic. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Critics don't seem to think this was one of the Keaton's bests (88% on rotten tomatoes at the time of writing this), but I thought it was great. He plays a teacher's pet that clumsily tries to become an athlete. The irony is that Buster Keaton is actually one of the greatest athletes ever. With all his crazy stunts, I'm beginning to think he is unbreakable. An iconic little man, he proves that it's not about the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the fight in the dog. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member While certainly not among Keaton's very best films, this one's consistently funny. Keaton plays a bookworm who tries to take up college sports to impress a girl. Most of the film centers on his increasingly disastrous attempts to play a succession of sports. There are also a few sequences where Keaton tries to hold down part time jobs, including one where he dons black face to pose as a "colored waiter". Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Not the strongest of Buster Keaton's classics, but that doesn't mean it's not good. The main issue with the movie is there's not a lot of memorable gags in it, the opening sequence at a high school graduation is great, but most of what follows pales in comparison. The characters also aren't the strongest, specifically the love interest, who unlike other Keaton movies doesn't do a whole lot and rarely partakes in a routine. College is still enjoyable though, and worth a watch if you're a Buster Keaton fan or just silent comedies in general. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
College

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
The Cameraman 100% 94% The Cameraman Watchlist The Kid Brother 92% 85% The Kid Brother Watchlist Spite Marriage 100% 60% Spite Marriage Watchlist The Freshman 95% 78% The Freshman Watchlist The Circus 97% 94% The Circus Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All College photos

College

College (1927) College (1927) College (1927) College (1927) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Brilliant in his studies and dismissive of athletics, Ronald (Buster Keaton) finishes high school at the top of his class. But in college his uptight attitude doesn't win him any points with his sports-loving classmates, and pretty coed Mary (Anne Cornwall) ignores him in favor of brutish jock Jeff (Harold Goodwin). Hoping to impress Mary, Ronald makes a buffoon of himself at every sport imaginable, usually at Jeff's hand. But Ronald gets a final shot at glory in a big rowing race.
Director
James W. Horne
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Joseph M. Schenck Productions
Genre
Comedy
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 30, 1927, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 5m
Most Popular at Home Now