--- title: "The Kid Brother" year: 1927 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-kid-brother" fi1m_id: "the-kid-brother" imdb_id: "tt0018051" tmdb_id: 16661 wikidata_id: "Q945230" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 4 published: "2026-09-25T06:26:17.472393+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T06:26:17.801037+00:00" region: "SI" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Kid Brother (1927) Directed by Ted Wilde, Harold Lloyd · 1h 22m · Comedy, Drama ## Identity The Kid Brother - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-kid-brother - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-kid-brother - **IMDb ID:** tt0018051 - **TMDB ID:** 16661 - **Wikidata ID:** Q945230 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018051/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/16661, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q945230 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 76 (early) from 4 reviews *In a sentence:* A tree, some handcuffs and Harold Lloyd: quite enough equipment for a good evening > Harold Lloyd’s farm comedy is inventive, affectionate and worth an evening, even when its bashful romance grows a little thin. The physical jokes have a patience that makes the laughter last. ## Synopsis On a farm, Harold Hickory (Harold Lloyd) has romance to negotiate and bashfulness to overcome. Around him are Mary Powers (Jobyna Ralston), Jim Hickory (Walter James), Leo Hickory (Leo Willis) and Olin Hickory (Olin Francis). The kid brother’s courtship proceeds alongside physical difficulties, including a climb into a tree that turns gaining height into a problem of its own. Love-making and practical mishaps occupy the same rural surroundings, with Harold trying to make progress without much confidence in how to go about it. ## Review *The Kid Brother* gives Harold Lloyd a farm, a bashful romance and plenty of opportunities to make ordinary actions difficult. It is a funny, affectionate comedy that we recommend with one reservation: the courtship has less invention than the physical jokes. Lloyd, credited as director alongside Ted Wilde, understands the pleasure of watching somebody work out how to do something. At 82 minutes, the film has enough room to let that process become amusing before it hurries towards a result. The tree-climbing sequence is the clearest example. Walter Lundin’s cinematography makes the upward progress readable, giving the height and the effort their proper comic value. We laughed, then found ourselves anxious about the next bit of climbing; the joke had made us care about the task. There is a satisfying patience here, because Lloyd keeps the physical problem in view and allows the expectation of another movement to become almost as enjoyable as the movement itself. Allen McNeil’s editing is just as important to the succession of gags. The gags involving a vanishing sheriff and handcuffs depend on our being able to follow a small piece of practical cause and effect, and the cutting keeps that pleasure clear. We have time to understand what is happening before the next joke needs our attention. Some of the smaller gags feel like preparations for better ones, but there is little of the impatience that can make physical comedy exhausting. Lloyd’s Harold Hickory is appealing because his bashfulness does not make him wholly helpless. There is enough assurance in the performance for us to enjoy his resourcefulness without being asked to pity him at every turn. Jobyna Ralston, as Mary Powers, is appealing company, though the bashful love-making seldom matches the ingenuity of the physical business. The courtship has warmth, but we sometimes wanted it to be as particular and surprising as the climbing, rather than relying quite so heavily on shyness. The story, credited to Thomas J. Crizer, Ted Wilde and John Grey, is serviceable, though its emotional direction holds few surprises. That is not much of a fault while the jokes are coming, but it matters when the pace settles. We sometimes feel the film asking for affection it has already earned more naturally through Harold’s efforts. A little less insistence on charm would have made the quieter passages more engaging; the performers do not need quite so much encouragement to be likeable. For a comedy built around a star, Lloyd is refreshingly willing to let us concentrate on the task rather than keep looking at him. His performance rewards the close attention that physical comedy needs, without making the work look laborious. The film will suit those who enjoy watching a joke being worked out and do not need every pause brought to a hurried end. Put distractions aside for the tree-climbing; the small movements deserve your attention. *Fi1m score 81, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Kid Brother worth watching?** *The Kid Brother* is worth watching for its inventive, affectionate physical comedy, and we score it 81 out of 100. The bashful romance grows thin, but we recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching a practical difficulty become an ingenious joke, with the tree-climbing sequence a particular pleasure. **How long is The Kid Brother, and what is it rated?** *The Kid Brother* runs 1h 22m. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch The Kid Brother in Slovenia?** *The Kid Brother* is not on any streaming or rental service in Slovenia at the moment. It is available in 14 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does The Kid Brother compare to Sherlock Jr.?** *The Kid Brother* offers patient physical comedy and a bashful farm romance, while [*Sherlock Jr.*](https://film.one/film/sherlock-jr) builds its precisely timed visual jokes around a detective comedy. Both have thin courtships; we favour *Sherlock Jr.* for its more concentrated comic invention, but Lloyd’s film suits an evening when there is time to enjoy a joke developing slowly. ### Reviews we read (4) - **Slant Magazine**, Keith Watson (4.5/5): Watson praises the film as a hugely satisfying, inventive comedy and the Criterion disc as an exceptional release. He singles out the tree-climbing sequence for its gentle suspense and creative visual humor. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/blu-ray-review-ted-wildes-the-kid-brother-on-the-criterion-collection/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): Variety says Harold Lloyd has clicked again, describing the film as an especially gag-filled comedy. It praises the steady succession of jokes, especially the sheriff-disappearing and handcuffing gags. [Read](https://variety.com/1926/film/reviews/the-kid-brother-1200409820/) - **Time Out**, ATu (70/100, inferred): The review presents the film as a strong Harold Lloyd vehicle, only slightly short of an achievement. It singles out how thoroughly the film feels like Lloyd’s own movie. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-kid-brother) - **The New York Times**, Mordaunt Hall (65/100, inferred): The headline indicates a review focused on Harold Lloyd’s clever stunts. The blocked article prevents determining the critic’s overall verdict or other points of praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1927/01/30/archives/harold-lloyds-clever-stunts-comedian-is-almost-reckless-with-his.html) ## Details - **Director:** Ted Wilde, Harold Lloyd - **Director:** Ted Wilde, Harold Lloyd - **Story:** John Grey, Ted Wilde, Thomas J. Crizer - **Cinematography:** Walter Lundin - **Editor:** Allen McNeil - **Cast:** Harold Lloyd as Harold Hickory; Jobyna Ralston as Mary Powers; Walter James as Jim Hickory; Leo Willis as Leo Hickory; Olin Francis as Olin Hickory; Constantine Romanoff as Sandoni; Eddie Boland as 'Flash' Farrell; Frank Lanning as Sam Hooper - **Runtime:** 1h 22m - **First release (the US):** 17 January 1927 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama ## Where to watch in Slovenia Not streaming, renting or buying in Slovenia at the last check. Also available in: AT, AU, CA, CH, DE, ES, FR, GB, IE, IL, IT, NZ, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Sherlock Jr.* (1924), Fi1m 91: Another resourceful small man turns physical disadvantage into ingenious, precisely timed comedy — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sherlock-jr.md) - *Jour de fête* (1949): Village routines become physical comedy, with room for affection among the disruptions - *The Smallest Show on Earth* (1957): A struggling cinema provides another modest setting for patient, affectionate character comedy - *A New Leaf* (1971): Awkward courtship turns considerably sharper, while the physical comedy stays carefully controlled - *The Lunchbox* (2013): For the bashful romance, with small decisions given enough time to matter --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-kid-brother