Speedy

Released Apr 7, 1928

1h 27m

Comedy

List

100%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Chronically unemployed Yankees fan Harold "Speedy" Swift (Harold Lloyd) dates Jane Dillon (Ann Christy), a girl whose beloved grandfather, Pop (Bert Woodruff), runs a failing horse-drawn trolley business, in a rapidly changing city where the railway is becoming king. When a crooked railroad official steals Pop's last car, hoping to force him into a shutdown, Speedy must race against the clock to find the culprits, return the car in time, and keep the service running on schedule.

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Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

Filmed on the streets of New York in 1928, Speedy is about as good a cinematic time capsule as you'll find.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 26, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Lloyd always rejected the sentimentality of Chaplin and the droll cynicism of Keaton. Lloyd just wanted to have fun, and Speedy has it in spades.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

An agreeable silent comedy.

Rated: B-

May 9, 2017

Full Review

Ben Nicholson

CineVue

Hugely entertaining, if not Lloyd at the peak of his powers.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 19, 2016

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

Playback:stl

Highlights include a wild chase scene through New York City traffic, a visit to Coney Island by Speedy and Jane, and a guest appearance by Babe Ruth...

Rated: 7/10

Dec 27, 2015

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

While not a masterpiece on the order of 1923's Safety Last! and 1925's The Freshman, Speedy still ranks as grade-A entertainment from the great Harold Lloyd.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 19, 2015

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Louisa E

Good (not Charlie Chaplin good, but still good). The carnival rides looked insane and the umbrella gag had me laughing out loud. The plot was good but some jokes went on a touch too long. 7/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/23

Full Review

Christopher B

Speedy is another Harold Lloyd silent comedy recently restored in 4K by the folks at The Criterion Collection for their Blu-ray release. They have done a wonderful job here and Speedy makes for an excellent companion piece to their previous Lloyd output of Safety Last! (1923) and The Freshman (1925). For a film that is turning 88 years old tomorrow, Speedy is a beautifully restored piece and in wonderful condition considering its age, what a revelation to watch! Lloyd delivers another top notch comedic adventure here as the title character 'Speedy', who has a real hard time keeping a job or doing anything resembling a good job. The film is once again filled with great gags, hilarious set pieces, and perfect timing on the part of Lloyd and his interactions with the environment around him. Like most silent comedies there is a basic story here and a love interest for the title character, as well as several secondary characters who support Lloyd's character throughout his crazy antics. There are a couple huge set pieces with dozens and dozens of actors in them and it really adds to the scope of the film and makes for a wonderfully exciting spectacle. Overall, this was a wonderful feature length Harold Lloyd film and also his last silent film. There are many scenes that bring both smiles and laughs to the audience through the clever use of the setting and elements within it and his character's energy and persistence within this crazy series of events. Once again, like the first two feature length Lloyd films mentioned earlier, Speedy was a true feature length comedy from one of the masters of the silent era and truly a wonderfully fun watch even 88 years after its release. What a gift for film lovers and those who appreciate silent films and comedy in general.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/22

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the greatest films of Harold Lloyd's career. It was the last silent film he made. This may not be the best Lloyd film but it is definitely among them. He is a third to Chaplin and Keaton.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

andres s

Very clever dialogue. So cool to see New York back then in the late 20's. Very cute how the horse has a straw hat on his head. Jane seems to be a cute little charismatic chipper girl. Idk why but it seemed like there wasn't a lot of individualism back in the days. Everyone wore the same hats and the same fucking suits and clothes. Everyone really just wanted to fin in and not stand out. I noticed this with the footage of the ball game and the shots of people walking around New York. Holy shit I never knew Harold Lloyd was so funny man. He's definitely got a knack for genuine humor, just like Chaplin. And very clever with his humor too. Bro the rides on Coney Island look so fun and dangerous at the same time! It's so interesting to see how roller coasters functioned back in the 20's. They were pretty much a liability waiting to happen. Omg I love how he flicked himself off at the wacky mirror once he realized he had paint on his suit. Lmao. I love how they sort of settle in to the back of the moving truck with all the furniture in the back. That ending was so good! So epic with the two horses pulling the train car and the mannequin dressed as a cop saluting the other cops. Lmao so good! Some of the stunts in this movie seemed really wreck less and dangerous. I seriously thought that some of the people in the movie were going to die or get injured really badly. Another movie about big businesses trying to buy out smaller businesses. Lloyd was able to do it in a funny and charismatic way. I loved this movie! A very unique and entertaining silent film comedy experience with plenty of clever humor. I don't think I'd buy it on Criterion but I'd definitely download it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best thrilling comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Super Funny! A Must Watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Ted Wilde

Director

Harold Lloyd

Harold "Speedy" Swift

Ann Christy

Jane Dillon

Bert Woodruff

Pop Dillon

Brooks Benedict

Steve Carter

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

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Synopsis

Chronically unemployed Yankees fan Harold "Speedy" Swift (Harold Lloyd) dates Jane Dillon (Ann Christy), a girl whose beloved grandfather, Pop (Bert Woodruff), runs a failing horse-drawn trolley business, in a rapidly changing city where the railway is becoming king. When a crooked railroad official steals Pop's last car, hoping to force him into a shutdown, Speedy must race against the clock to find the culprits, return the car in time, and keep the service running on schedule.

Director: Ted Wilde
Producer: Suzanne Lloyd Hayes
Screenwriter: Lex Neal, Howard Emmett Rogers
Production Co: The Harold Lloyd Corporation
Genre: Comedy
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 1928, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Runtime: 1h 27m

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