Is this the film that first gave us the "football stadium with a college attached" joke? (Unrelatedly, this Criterion 4K transfer is staggeringly clean.)
It’s the irony of The Freshman that when Harold ceases trying to imitate Speedy, he actually becomes Speedy. It’s not simulated strength that wins the game, it’s Harold’s own will and tenacity. What more perfect vision of the American dream could there be? In a country where anyone can become president, Harold Lloyd says that any bespectacled lamb can become Frank Merriwell.
— Stephen Winer (Criterion)
Synopsis: An unathletic college freshman ridiculed by his peers for his mannerisms strives to become popular by making the football team.