Though hailed as a masterpiece now, Keaton's magnum opus The General (1926) was both a huge flop at the box office and given lukewarm reception by the critics upon its initial release. This led Keaton's producer Joseph M. Schenck to force Keaton to play it safe the next time around; he stripped away some of his creative control and had him appear in a college picture in the hopes of riding upon the success of Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (1925). The result was a lackluster picture which managed to lose more money than The General, and unlike its predecessor, time has not improved its reputation.
As many others have noted, Buster does not pull off the "unathletic milquetoast" character in this. He does fine when he's wearing baggy clothes and such, but the moment he puts on those tight athletic outfits you can see every muscle on his body. (This is bad when it comes to making the character believable, but a plus as well since he's so good-looking.)
Most of the story is rather repetitive: Buster tries and fails to make sports teams on campus. It becomes rather dull fast. There are some good bits in between however: the soda jerk scene is great and then there's the climax where Buster has to rush to save his girl from the unwanted advances of a romantic rival. The ending is the best of all, one of the darkest Keaton ever made: we see he and the girl go off to be wed, and it seems as though they will live happily ever after. However, the film does not end there: we flash forward to the couple's life together, raising children and growing old. (In the "growing old" scene, the couple seem rather upset with each other, perhaps inferring that theirs was not a match made in heaven?) The final shot is that of two tombstones, followed by "The End". It almost makes up for the dull sequences which have gone on before, but not quite.
As many others have noted, Buster does not pull off the "unathletic milquetoast" character in this. He does fine when he's wearing baggy clothes and such, but the moment he puts on those tight athletic outfits you can see every muscle on his body. (This is bad when it comes to making the character believable, but a plus as well since he's so good-looking.)
Most of the story is rather repetitive: Buster tries and fails to make sports teams on campus. It becomes rather dull fast. There are some good bits in between however: the soda jerk scene is great and then there's the climax where Buster has to rush to save his girl from the unwanted advances of a romantic rival. The ending is the best of all, one of the darkest Keaton ever made: we see he and the girl go off to be wed, and it seems as though they will live happily ever after. However, the film does not end there: we flash forward to the couple's life together, raising children and growing old. (In the "growing old" scene, the couple seem rather upset with each other, perhaps inferring that theirs was not a match made in heaven?) The final shot is that of two tombstones, followed by "The End". It almost makes up for the dull sequences which have gone on before, but not quite.