100 Years Later, This Classic Comedy Is Still One of the Greatest Sports Movies Ever Made

In the pantheon of silent screen comedy legends, Harold Lloyd rests somewhere between the two reigning kings, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. While never quite achieving the artistic or commercial heights of either of them, Lloyd carved out his own distinct identity that shared similar elements to his contemporaries. He had Chaplin’s sentimental instincts and astute ability to fuse comedic set pieces with narrative, combined with Keaton’s taste for giant feats of physical derring do often fueled by the pursuit of love.

When combined with Lloyd’s fixation on middle-American tales of aspiration and showcasing his own athletic prowess, he made for an easily endearing underdog, as best exemplified in his biggest hit, The Freshman. Not just a perfect encapsulation of Lloyd’s brand of comedy, The Freshman still stands as one of the greatest sports films in American cinema, setting a gold standard for how to portray football.

What is ‘The Freshman’ About?

Harold Lloyd in 'The Freshman' — Harold Lloyd in ‘The Freshman’

Harold (Lloyd) has just arrived at Tate University, eager to make a name for himself despite being at the bottom of the social totem pole. He meets the lovely Peggy (Jobyn Ralston), and the two instantly hit it off, but Harold believes he’s too much of a loser to ever have a chance with her. In order to make a name for himself and become a campus legend, he decides to join the football team and host the big fall dance. Seeing as he can’t play football and doesn’t know a thing about a Paso Doble either, this leads to hilarious complications that embarrass Harold and mold him into the man he was always meant to be—himself.

Despite its predictable and threadbare plot that’s not even 80 minutes long, The Freshman bounds through its story with a youthful glee that hosts many of the most inspired comedic flourishes of Lloyd’s career. Nimbly rotating between humorous romantic flirtation, cringe comedy of errors, back-to-school shenanigans, and finally a full-on sports film, it’s that last register that has endured the most in the cinematic zeitgeist.

The Climax Is Harold Lloyd At His Most Brilliant

Funnily enough, for a film that’s ostensibly about football, that element doesn’t fully come into play until the climax. After getting repeatedly humiliated in his attempts to become more popular, Harold finds his chance for glory in the big game. He managed to join the team as a water boy purely because he took so much punishment as a tackle dummy, but initially had no hope of actually playing. In a twist reminiscent of The Replacements, the whole team is so banged up that there are no substitutes left, and Harold is literally the only option left to turn to. This is a terrifying prospect, as Harold has actively shown no football talent whatsoever, so bad that he can’t even kick a football without it flying backwards over his head. However, by the grace of the football gods, Harold constantly snatches victory from the jaws of defeat with his slippery steps and bumbling lack of awareness of the rules.

The best Harold Lloyd comedy came not from huge punchlines, but from the sheer awe of watching him wiggle or squirm his way out of compromising situations. His lithe body and huge face communicated a person with boundless gumption who could roll or dangle himself to salvation, and The Freshman‘s football sequence is a masterclass in Lloyd’s brand of physical comedy. As wildly implausible as it is that he’d gain more than one yard in real life, Lloyd is simply astonishing in his ability to barely be playing the game and still make progress.

He does everything from performing a handstand in the middle of a huddle, dropping the ball one yard short of the goal line, and standing on the wrong side of the line before the snap. But then he pulls out a final drive that’s awe-inspiring to witness, where he leaps over three different men and pulls out jukes that are reminiscent of prime Barry Sanders, and all done in a one-take that is a decades-old spiritual predecessor to the running scene in 1917. He may have looked like a nerd, but Harold Lloyd’s athleticism was no joke.

Beyond its comedic spark, the football sequence is an incredible snapshot of what the earliest version of America’s biggest sport was like. Back when the only protection was a leather helmet and uncomfortable cleats, there’s something bracing and a little bit scary about watching such a primitive version of a still-so-very-violent sport. While none of the injuries or contact that happens looks dangerous at all, especially since most of the footage is intentionally sped up, the excitement is still palpable.

Much like how war films tend to automatically be exciting (regardless of the film’s intentions), football has so much of the gladiator spirit to it that we can’t help but be entertained. It’s hard to tell if this depiction of it is “accurate,” since the rules are constantly being broken for comedic effect, but the lack of any special effects or fakery makes it all have a documentary feel. You have to consider the incredible level of coordination needed for all the stunt performers to dive and hit each other at the right times, giving the comedy an extra bite from the realism on show.

Football is one of those sports that still feels hard to fully capture. There’s so much action to focus on at once, so many players to treat with importance, and arbitrary rules that must be occasionally brought up. Even some of the better football films are great because they focus more on off-field aspects of the game rather than on-field aspects. But The Freshman wound up paving the way for not just football films, but quite possibly all future sports films, as some academics have claimed this to be the first sports film that codified the formula while achieving mainstream success. In other words, Harold fumbled his way to victory so that Sean Astin‘s Rudy could get his one chance at playing.