Slapstick

I understand the book this is "adapted" from was not great by any means, but I don't think a book could possibly be this bad.

The description for the movie does no justice in describing this atrocity. Twins are birthed from the loins of two "beautiful" people, only they look like Sasquatch sized creatures from another world (oops, spoilers! Oh wait no one will care). They apparently seem smart together but the film gives us little insight into that. On one hand, we do get tons and tons of bad vignettes of people well past their prime trying to be funny. Jerry Lewis seemingly shaped this after Blazing Saddles, but took out any social commentary, acting prowess and humor.

The worst part is all of the actors look like they are being confronted by existential dread. They probably saw the dailies and were horrified. Apparently the weirdo that made this film also made Baby Geniuses. No wonder it was so terrible. There is a morbid curiosity of seeing a train wreck like this, but most people have better things to do with their lives.

I stumbled on a mention of this movie after Jerry Lewis died. Based on a Vonnegut book, I expected something different and was not disappointed in that respect. It really impressed me as something that they just threw together in real time, just figuring out what to do next in between shooting scenes. I'm extremely surprised at caliber of some of the name involved in the project, Jerry Lewis (two roles!) and Orson Welles?!?! I give them some credit for trying to make a film out of the crazy book Slapstick, even though it is a colossal failure and only covers the beginning of the novel. A few scenes remind me of typical Tom Green comedy schtick, nothing but noise and mess, but just noise and mess doesn't make something funny, it's just infantile. I watched it yesterday and I think it is like trying to get the smell of burnt milk out of your nose, the ridiculously bad scenes just hang around in my memory. Someone would literally have to pay me $500 to watch this again, it is that painful.

I got this movie really cheap at blockbuster and we watched it a few years ago. REALLY BAD! When I first saw this movie I thought it was the worst movie possible. Not only was the acting and the story and the jokes HORRIBLE but it gave me a headache to watch. I have not read the book and supposedly that is good, I don't see how it could be with a story like that though. There was nothing good about this movie. I rate it a 1 out of 10. I don't see how it is possible to make a movie like this and believe that in any way it will be successful or even entertaining. I cant even imagine how people were at the premier of this movie.

This movie is so tragically bad; that you feel sorry for those involved. Adapted from a Kurt Vonnegut story, with some big name talents in the cast, the story is destroyed by a lame script, no slapstick or any comedy of any kind, and stars given nothing to work with. Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn play aliens who have a message for the world, and encounter evil everywhere--a depressing premise to start with. Versatile Pat Morita is wasted on a mean-spirited, stereotypical little loudmouth character that isn't the least bit funny--only irritating. Marty Feldman, Orson Welles, and Jim Backus have parts they probably hid from their resumes too. One recurring joke is that excrement is a new fuel source; this sad attempt at humor was as close to a laugh as you get. The film has only one worth while moment: a touching scene near the end where you actually get a chance to feel something for the two characters who have been mercilessly hurt throughout the movie. An unfunny comedy that will just leave you feeling empty.

Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)

1/2 (out of 4)

Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn play a married couple who give birth to a twin boy and girl (also played by Lewis and Kahn). Sadly for the parents, these two kids are really ugly, stupid and deformed. It turns out that an alien took control of the pregnancy to try and force these two kids to teach the world something because when the twins but their heads together they become super smart.

Wow, what a complete and utter misfire this thing turned out to be. It's rather shocking to see how awful SLAPSTICK OF ANOTHER KIND is and it's even more shocking to see Lewis on The Tonight Show in 1984 trying to sell the movie. It's easy to see why they didn't spend too much time on that show discussing this movie because it's quite awful and even Lewis didn't do a very good job at selling it. The film was released in Europe two years before it's American debut but I doubt even this thing could fool fans over there.

There are all sorts of problems with this movie including the fact that it just looks downright cheap and poorly produced. I really don't know what they were going for or what they were trying to do but the screenplay is just one giant mess. I mean, there are some below-the-belt jokes that I personally didn't find offensive but it's funny to think that anyone would have read them on the script and thought that they would have worked. What's even worse is the fact that I only laughed twice throughout the running time.

How does a movie with Lewis, Kahn, Marty Feldman, John Abbott, Samuel Fuller, Pat Morita and Merv Griffin go so terribly wrong? It certainly proves that no matter how great a cast you get if the screenplay is bad your movie is going to turn out the same way. Both Lewis and Kahn get an A for effort but there's just nothing here for their talents. Feldman is completely wasted in his role but I will say that Abbott gets a couple decent moments as Dr. Frankenstein as does Fuller as Colonel Sharp.

SLAPSTICK OF ANOTHER KIND tries to mix comedy and sci-fi but it's really an awful picture from start to finish.