Way Out West (1937)

(On TV, February 2022) When it comes to Laurel and Hardy, I’m in the largely indifferent camp. Yes, they are funny—even I recognize that. But I have a hard time whipping up any enthusiasm for the pair. Some films are funnier than others and some routines work while others don’t. Way Out West is a piece of their filmography, but not one of the most often mentioned ones. It has the distinction of parodying 1930s westerns, which may please viewers who overdosed on the genre, but otherwise feels like a string of middle-grade gags strung together. The ending is fortunately a bit more spirited than the opening, but otherwise it’s a somewhat average entry for the pair—not terrible, not hilarious, usually amusing without being all that memorable. I’ll take it—there’s much worse out there.