This very sharp-edged short comedy is generally entertaining, at least as long as you don't take it too seriously. It's not very kind to any of the characters, with practically all of them being portrayed as either willful, calculating, oblivious, or worse. Their attempts to out-maneuver each other are clever at times, and would be even funnier if they were not quite so unkind.
John Bunny stars as a widower whose very spirited young daughter sets off a rivalry between her nurse and her governess. Bunny actually is the straight man for much of the movie, with the female characters driving most of the action. Bunny does get some good moments with the daughter, but otherwise he does not get many chances to use his range of comic talents.
Flora Finch, Bunny's frequent co-star, plays the strict governess, and she efficiently establishes her character right away. Helene Costello makes the child lively and suitably impish. Mae Costello, probably the least-remembered performer from the well-known acting family, might actually give the best performance of anyone in the movie. As the child's nurse, she is just as devious as (or more so than) any of other characters, but her manner makes you want her to be the one who succeeds.
So few of Bunny's movies have been preserved that the chance to see any of them is welcome. This one, though, does not really give him a chance to show all that he could do. It does work all right as light entertainment.
John Bunny stars as a widower whose very spirited young daughter sets off a rivalry between her nurse and her governess. Bunny actually is the straight man for much of the movie, with the female characters driving most of the action. Bunny does get some good moments with the daughter, but otherwise he does not get many chances to use his range of comic talents.
Flora Finch, Bunny's frequent co-star, plays the strict governess, and she efficiently establishes her character right away. Helene Costello makes the child lively and suitably impish. Mae Costello, probably the least-remembered performer from the well-known acting family, might actually give the best performance of anyone in the movie. As the child's nurse, she is just as devious as (or more so than) any of other characters, but her manner makes you want her to be the one who succeeds.
So few of Bunny's movies have been preserved that the chance to see any of them is welcome. This one, though, does not really give him a chance to show all that he could do. It does work all right as light entertainment.