Watching The Rough House and other independent Arbuckle shorts, I am reminded of the sort of films I made with my friends when I was in junior high and high school. Weird, plot-less things where being funny and acting strange reigned over any sense of story or coherence. It's obvious watching these films that everyone involved in their making was having a great time, barely able to keep themselves from cracking up in the middle of a take.
However, The Rough House is not among Arbuckle's better efforts due to this meandering. Much of the short is a flurry of people hitting, kicking, shouting, and falling over. The best moments come in when the comedy comes from the characters, such as the lazy Arbuckle nonchalantly trying to put out the fire raging on his bed from a cigarette butt he dropped or the jealous cook played by Al St. John overreacting to the comely maid flirting with a delivery boy played by Buster Keaton in his second film appearance. Everything else is underwhelming, even random.
However, The Rough House is not among Arbuckle's better efforts due to this meandering. Much of the short is a flurry of people hitting, kicking, shouting, and falling over. The best moments come in when the comedy comes from the characters, such as the lazy Arbuckle nonchalantly trying to put out the fire raging on his bed from a cigarette butt he dropped or the jealous cook played by Al St. John overreacting to the comely maid flirting with a delivery boy played by Buster Keaton in his second film appearance. Everything else is underwhelming, even random.