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      Go West

      Released Dec 6, 1940 1h 21m Western Comedy List
      90% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 59% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings New Yorkers "Rusty" Panello (Harpo Marx) and his brother, Joe (Chico Marx), cheat S. Quentin Quale (Groucho Marx) out of some money, enough to buy themselves a train trip out West. All three soon find themselves involved in a feud between the Turner and Wilson clans, and two crooked land promoters. In order to help two lovers marry, Quale and the Panello brothers pursue the crooks on an eastbound train in a madcap race for justice. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered May 14 Buy Now

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      Critics Reviews

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      Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies It's not quite in their top tier but Go West is the strongest film of the post-Thalberg filmography with a climax that is classic Marx Brothers. Rated: 4/5 Jan 5, 2024 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 4/5 Nov 23, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 4/5 Aug 7, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews This late MGM entry to the Marx Brothers opus is one of their minor works but still in parts reflects their vintage lunacy. Rated: B- Apr 12, 2005 Full Review Walter Chaw Film Freak Central The conflict of comedic styles results in a discordant experience at best, but the bits that are pure Marx Bros. are gold. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 23, 2004 Full Review Daniel M. Kimmel Worcester Telegram & Gazette Rated: 2/5 Jul 2, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Steve D Forgettable by their standards. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/17/23 Full Review mike v More hilarity and cleverness from the Marx Brothers. The opening scene in the railway station is very funny. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It might be past their prime, and extremely racist, but this film proves funny enough to be more than worth it's short runtime. 3.25/5 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member It's no secret that the Marx Bros. movies went downhill after the shift to MGM, and while Go West is no Duck Soup or even A Day at the Races, there is one reason to give it a watch. That reason is to witness the last of the genius of Buster Keaton, one of the three greatest silent comedians, at the studio, as he was a gag writer for this and several other of the Brothers' films. If you've seen any of Buster's silent classics, then you'll easily be able to recognize his influence, especially in the train chase climax, which has moments that could have fit right in to The General or Our Hospitality. This segment, and other scenes with the Bros. center stage, are what make this movie good, sadly these are brought down by a lot of filler in between them. Yes, for some reason MGM thought it'd be a good idea to put in a random love story and bland musical numbers into a Marx Bros. movie, not only decreasing the trio's screen time, but making the wait for them pretty hard to get through. Still, if you can suffer through those you'll get rewarded by some classic Marx, they're not all great routines, but the ones that aren't are still funny and the ones that are make everything worth it. In the end, while it's not one of the best, Go West is still worth a couple watches, specifically for the previously mentioned climax, which is up there with some of their funniest stuff. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Not much to recommend in this MGM Marx Bros. offering except for the steam engine finale. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Groucho, Chico and Harpo travel to the Old West where they get tangled up in a land acquisition scheme. They are great as usual, with Groucho and Harpo in particularly rare form. There are some brilliant set pieces present here, particularly in the conclusion. The giant train chase finale is a sort of homage to Buster Keaton's (who co-wrote the screenplay) 1927 " The General". It's not exactly original, but and the buildup and payoff are perfectly executed. Not their best -- certainly not up to Duck Soup, Horse Feather, and A Night at the Opera - but enough laughs to hold your interest. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Go West

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis New Yorkers "Rusty" Panello (Harpo Marx) and his brother, Joe (Chico Marx), cheat S. Quentin Quale (Groucho Marx) out of some money, enough to buy themselves a train trip out West. All three soon find themselves involved in a feud between the Turner and Wilson clans, and two crooked land promoters. In order to help two lovers marry, Quale and the Panello brothers pursue the crooks on an eastbound train in a madcap race for justice.
      Director
      Edward Buzzell
      Screenwriter
      Irving Brecher
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Western, Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 6, 1940, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 25, 2008
      Runtime
      1h 21m
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