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Bigger and Better

Name: Bigger and Better
Director: Edgar Kennedy
Released: 1930
Duration: 20 min

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Representation Score

0.5/10

Minimal

1930

TV-G

Director

Edgar Kennedy

Runtime

20 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This 1930 short is a conventional slapstick comedy that prioritizes situational irony over social complexity. The narrative follows a group of young men navigating the transition from school to work, using character flaws to drive humor. The film adheres strictly to the era's cinematic norms, presenting a homogeneous social environment. It lacks any intentional engagement with the way different parts of someone's identity overlap or the subversion of traditional hierarchies. Ultimately, the work functions as a standard comedic piece of its time, focusing on individual temperament and the mishaps of navigating a department store setting.

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Category Breakdown

Does Bigger and Better have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The story focuses solely on the interactions between young men. There are no depictions of LGBTQ+ identities or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Bigger and Better portray gender?

Limited

Male protagonists drive the entire plot. While women appear as customers in the accessories department, they have little control over what happens to them and serve only to facilitate the male characters' comedic mishaps.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Bigger and Better?

Minimal

The cast appears to be a homogeneous group. The narrative lacks any indication of racial or ethnic diversity within the social settings or the main characters.

How does Bigger and Better represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film centers on traditional social hierarchies and the value of labor. It reinforces established commercial structures rather than exploring diverse cultural perspectives or challenging institutional norms.

Does Bigger and Better include disability representation?

Minimal

No characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities are present. The central conflicts stem from personality flaws like laziness and cluelessness rather than disability.

Present on Screen

The film provides a clear, character-driven comedic structure centered on situational irony.

Limited or Absent

The narrative lacks racial and ethnic diversity, presenting a homogeneous cast.
Female characters are relegated to passive roles as consumers without personal ability to act.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or neurodivergent characters.
The plot reinforces traditional social hierarchies and gendered divisions of labor.

Official Synopsis

On the train trip home from school, all the kids except Dave talk about taking a vacation trip to Lake Arrowhead; Dave wants a summer job. Alabam suggests that his uncle might hire Dave at a department store. The uncle likes Dave's attitude and tells Alabam and Mickey they should work there too. Reluctantly, Alabam takes a sales assignment in ladies' accessories, where he's charming but clueless. Mickey, lazy and on the take, sees the store detective helping himself to a chocolate bar, so he wants that job. Dave learns the hard way that the customer is always right, Mickey puts the cuffs on the wrong customer, and Lake Arrowhead looks very far away.

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