Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
It's surprising how well Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man holds up given that, at first glance, it seems to be an obvious attempt to cash in on the success of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Yet, somehow, it manages to be better than the not obvious cash-ins made since Meet Frankenstein's release.
Abbott and Costello play Bud Alexander and Lou Francis, a pair of detectives awaiting their first big case. They get their first case from Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz), a boxer who was framed for murder and needs their help in clearing his name. Nelson disguises himself by using a special serum that will turn him invisible, and uses this to spy on the people who set him up. Ultimately, his plan to clear his name involves posing Lou as a boxer!
To me, the most interesting thing about this film is the relationship between Bud, Lou, and Tommy. Initially, Bud wants to turn him in and attempts to double cross him a couple times. This isn't like most other times where Bud has been a jerk; while he's still motivated by money, he does also legitimately think Tommy is guilty at first. This provides a really interesting set up, in that the group has to slowly learn to trust each other more as the film goes along, and it's quite effective...for the most part. There is a scene late in the film where Bud and Lou attempt to double cross Tommy again that seems just a bit too sudden and forced. It does make sense given the circumstances, which I won't spoil, but at the same time, it does seem to come out of nowhere and does come across as a bit too greedy and cowardly, even for Abbott and Costello. They do at least make up for it at the end, and there's even kind of a sweet scene where Lou stands up for Tommy. Again, I won't give anything away, and it's so fast that it may not have even been intentional, but Lou acts surprisingly really brave during that small scene and it's actually pretty touching, especially knowing how cowardly his character usually is.
So, what about the comedy? Well, as you may expect, there are quite a lot of scare reactions, not just from Lou, but from others also seeing the Invisible Man throughout the film. They're all done well, and also allow for a really funny recurring gag involving people having to visit a psychiatrist. Among the other good comedic bits are one in which Costello accidentally makes people fall asleep with the psychiatrist's watch, Costello pretending he's doing boxing moves without ever laying a finger on anyone or anything, and there's even a funny solo moment from Abbott in which he has to pretend to be drunk in order to not blow Tommy's cover. Like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, it's not necessarily their funniest movie, but there's just enough to it that it still does feel like a comedy.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man isn't quite as good as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, but the interesting characters, the mostly well-written story, and a good supporting cast including William Frawley and Sheldon Leonard help it to stand out on its own. It's definitely worth checking out.
9 out of 10
Abbott and Costello play Bud Alexander and Lou Francis, a pair of detectives awaiting their first big case. They get their first case from Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz), a boxer who was framed for murder and needs their help in clearing his name. Nelson disguises himself by using a special serum that will turn him invisible, and uses this to spy on the people who set him up. Ultimately, his plan to clear his name involves posing Lou as a boxer!
To me, the most interesting thing about this film is the relationship between Bud, Lou, and Tommy. Initially, Bud wants to turn him in and attempts to double cross him a couple times. This isn't like most other times where Bud has been a jerk; while he's still motivated by money, he does also legitimately think Tommy is guilty at first. This provides a really interesting set up, in that the group has to slowly learn to trust each other more as the film goes along, and it's quite effective...for the most part. There is a scene late in the film where Bud and Lou attempt to double cross Tommy again that seems just a bit too sudden and forced. It does make sense given the circumstances, which I won't spoil, but at the same time, it does seem to come out of nowhere and does come across as a bit too greedy and cowardly, even for Abbott and Costello. They do at least make up for it at the end, and there's even kind of a sweet scene where Lou stands up for Tommy. Again, I won't give anything away, and it's so fast that it may not have even been intentional, but Lou acts surprisingly really brave during that small scene and it's actually pretty touching, especially knowing how cowardly his character usually is.
So, what about the comedy? Well, as you may expect, there are quite a lot of scare reactions, not just from Lou, but from others also seeing the Invisible Man throughout the film. They're all done well, and also allow for a really funny recurring gag involving people having to visit a psychiatrist. Among the other good comedic bits are one in which Costello accidentally makes people fall asleep with the psychiatrist's watch, Costello pretending he's doing boxing moves without ever laying a finger on anyone or anything, and there's even a funny solo moment from Abbott in which he has to pretend to be drunk in order to not blow Tommy's cover. Like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, it's not necessarily their funniest movie, but there's just enough to it that it still does feel like a comedy.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man isn't quite as good as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, but the interesting characters, the mostly well-written story, and a good supporting cast including William Frawley and Sheldon Leonard help it to stand out on its own. It's definitely worth checking out.
9 out of 10
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