With the enormous success of the first Thomas Graal, Stiller brought Victor Sjöström and Karin Molander back for a second-go-round; only this time, they've pared down their technique to a minimum, following the comedy through an instinctual trajectory. The film opens as Graal bungles his first moments of matrimony by mislaying the wedding ring. At the reception, Bessie parries his blunder by announcing that their child will be a girl. Graal insists that the first born be a boy and the newlyweds storm off into separate rooms. Graal's Best Child then becomes a heated, very riotous account of their marriage with all manner of gags carpeting the bridal path. "Most of the jokes are visual, and therefore only a few titles are required; this naturally helps the film to flow more smoothly," observes Peter Cowie. "At the same time, one is rarely conscious, as one is with Bergman's comedies, that layers of more profound and even pessimistic meaning lie hidden beneath the scintillating surface of Stiller's work. It is just that the domestic relationships and erotic byplay that he dwells on have an application and a validity beyond their immediate setting and generation. One readily identifies oneself with Victor Sjöström and Karin Molander; they always have a sarcastic retort waiting up their sleeves." Whether it's Bessie's bout with bohemia, or the hygienic humor of rearing a "kiss-less" child, Thomas Graal's Best Child stands out as a seminal Swedish comedy.