It's hard for me to knock any film that is over 100 years old, and in the infancy of film-making. I just think it's great we still have some of these films. To me, many of them serve more as historical value, showing the times, than for entertainment. For instance, this movie was labeled a comedy and was supposed to be funny. Maybe it was for the folks back then, but I doubt many people today would be entertained by this nine-minute short. However, it is great satire, and how many movie fans would think they would do satirical pieces as early as this?
However, there was more do it than met the eye, as it was meant to be a satire. Apparently, at this time in American history, the suburbs were being promoted as a great place for city dwellers to move. It was pictured as the perfect place to live. The filmmakers here spoof that, showing the problems that can happen with furniture movers, trying to meet commuter train connections, trying to get good "help," and other things....all leading to the family giving up in the end.
It shows a family moving to the suburbs, with the movies spilling some of the house objects. Then we see three kids left alone out front to play and apparently they get muddy so they are brought inside. Then, the burly (of course) mother-in-law arrives and then other household help arrives, but the cook is an ornery woman who throws everyone out of the kitchen, even hitting one man over the head with the a frying pan. Subsequently, police are brought in to take her away. All of that, I assume, to get across their anti-suburb message.