It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Harold Lloyd came out of retirement after nine years to make "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock." The 53-year old actor reprised one of his building ledge scenarios from his much younger days in silent films ("Safety Last" of 1923). Lloyd is unquestionably the master of the high ledge antics. He's so good, and the filming of his scenes is so real that I've always been on the edge of my seat when watching those nail-biters.Preston Sturges wrote and directed this wacky film. He may have been able to lure Lloyd back to work for one more film. After an opening scenario on the football field (a replay from "The Freshman" of 1925), the plot slows down and quickly becomes dull. But, when it picks back up Harold gets up a head of steam that leads to the climax with the great ledge hanging scenes. The film has a good supporting cast. It's not the funniest script but it has some raucously funny sections. The ledge-hanging scenes alone make it worthwhile. Lloyd made 214 films in his career that began in 1913. All but eight of those were silent films made before 1929. Most movies made in the early days of the silent era were short films. They would vary from 10 minutes to more than 35. Shorts today are films with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all the credits.

Surprisingly honest beginning showing what a swinery capitalism is. Then Everything turns silly and Lloyd does what he has done better elsewhere.I'm not surprised it turned out that way though. Had it continued like the beginning, we would have had the best socialist Comedy ever perhaps. That could of course not happen in a film financed by capitalists. Pity anyway.Begins in decency and ends in a snore - that's the size of it. And for the rest, I would have to say with the utmost sincirety, I guess, I would have to say: Yada, yada, yada, umpa and so fill out my lines - jaussa.

Harold Lloyd said farewell to the big screen with his collaboration with director Preston Sturges on The Sin Of Harold Diddlebock. While some of Lloyd's humor from his great days is retained in this film it will not be remembered as one of the best from either Lloyd or Sturges.Possibly I think that Lloyd may have been too old to be doing all the physical comedy this role called for. It was not as bad as Stan Laurel in Utopia because Lloyd was in better health, but he clearly was playing his age and people in their fifties just don't do some of the crazy stunts this role required.And Lloyd was one of the most physical of silent screen comedians and certain things were expected of him, most especially his work hanging from ledges in high places. The public that remembered him expected that and Harold was obliged to give it to them.In the title role we first get a prologue of sorts from Lloyd's greatest silent screen hit The Freshman where we see him glasses and all winning the big football game for his school. After that an enthusiastic Raymond Walburn offers him a job at his advertising agency and Lloyd thinks this is the start of a great career.Flash forward by presidents from the Harding to the Truman years and we see Lloyd just toiling away at a drudge job and then gets the final blow. No doubt to make room for some eager young hotshot fresh from college, Lloyd gets the pink slip. After getting his pink slip from Walburn fortune takes Lloyd to a bar run by Edgar Kennedy and the companionship of Jimmy Conlin. Where he takes his first drink, a concoction mixed by Kennedy and he changes in personality totally. After that it gets way too complicated to describe.The famous stunts from cinematically achieved great heights, a specialty of Lloyd's involves Lloyd, Conlin, and a circus lion on the edge of a skyscraper ledge. It's good, but doesn't work as well as those same stunts in Lloyd's salad days.As for Preston Sturges, he borrows a leaf from WC Fields who borrows from Charles Dickens in creating some great character names starting with the title role. Look down the cast list of some great character players who have names suiting their personalities. Fields did the same in The Bank Dick which is a much better film.The Sin Of Harold Diddlebock is a decent enough film for Harold Lloyd to put his career to rest, but far from his or Preston Sturges's best work.

Thank you Preston Sturges for this little hidden treasure. This movie evolves from scene to scene slowly and gracefully in some places and abruptly and catastrophically in others. It is like life and it is not like life. Harold Lloyd is brilliant throughout. The action packed football scene sets the stage, part Three Stooges part WC Fields. There are scenes in this movie that are at the pinnacle of comedy -seriously the best comedy of all time! (See the bartender scene, the take my circus scene, the form fit Franklin for the fit phenomenal scene, the your fired scene) then there are places where the pacing wanes for you to catch your breath and better enjoy what is to come. The lessons to live by involve accepting a little risk. I love this movie. Anyone who has ever mistrusted a banker should love this movie too.