Noises Off! - Der nackte Wahnsinn

"Noises Off" is based on a popular play. Directed by Peter Bogdonavich, it tells the story of a bedroom farce, "Nothing On," which is, in fact, a dud of a play - and what goes on backstage and on-stage as the actors rehearse, play out of town, and open on Broadway. Thanks to break-ups, jealousies, and drunkenness, the offstage happenings spill over into the play, as the actors grow to hate one another more and more. Anyone with experience in theater will love it the most, but it's fun for everyone.

The cast is top-notch - Michael Caine is the harried director, and the stars of the "play" are Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Marilu Henner, Nicolette Sheridan, Mark-Linn Baker, and Denholm Elliott. Julie Hagerty is the near-hysterical stage manager.

There's a lot of slapstick and much "actor talk" with the actors searching for motivations; there's a drunk actor (Elliott) who pops up from time to time asking if it's his cue yet. (Soon, the cast finds his stash of booze and start chugalugging themselves.) Caine is terrific as a Valium-popping director driven to near-madness.

The play is much better than the film, even though the film is terribly funny.

Unfortunately, for me anyway, it's just terribly sad to see handsome, robust Christopher Reeve walking around and the talented, deceased John Ritter. Boy, life sure has some same twists. So does "Noises Off" - but unlike some of life's twists, these twists are accompanied by plenty of belly laughs.

I would have never, ever watched this movie. I passed it by many times without every giving it a second of a chance. I mean, I was 10 and this movie really held no interest for me. Then, one day, while scanning through the channels I came upon this movie when Nicollette Sheridan is running around in her underwear... well, that got my attention. That one thing held my interest long enough for me to get pulled into the story of the movie and by the time the movie was over... I loved it.

Even at my age this movie had me rolling with laughter. But now 11 years later, I caught the movie again and it was even funnier. The characters were great and were acted well by the all star cast. Christopher Reeve getting a nose bleed at the slightest sign of violence, John Ritters jealousy, Michael Caine's frustrations at trying to deal with the antics of his cast were all hilarious. Watching as the cast is arguing and fighting while trying to act out the scenes and keep Selsdon (Denholm Elliot) from alcohol was hilarity defined. I REALLY loved Marilu Henner as Belinda in this movie. I really fell in love with her character as I watched her run around trying to keep the peace. She always seemed to know what was going on and was always perky and her smile rarely waivered. Overall, the whole cast was great and it is one of my most unexpected favorite movies.

"Noises Off..." is one crazy movie. Based on Michael Frynn's play, it's about an inept travelling theater group doing stage productions of a British sex farce. The problem with this play is that as each month passes by while stopping from city to city, the actors start getting at each others throats. Michael Caine is hilariously funny as the frustrated director who gets to the point where he can't bear to deal with his clumsy actors because of the tumult backstage. "Noises Off..." is filmed in three different parts. First there's the rehearsal just before opening night in Des Moines, Iowa. Next there's a stop in Miami Beach where we see almost all the action taking place backstage. Finally there's the stop in Cleveland where the show practically falls flat on its face. This final part of the movie felt like torture to me. Nevertheless, "Noises Off..." is very funny most of the time and I did laugh alot. Besides Caine, the great cast also features Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Julie Hagerty, Marilu Henner, Denholm Elliott, Mark Linn-Baker, and Nicollette Sheridan. All give funny performances and that helps to make "Noises Off..." a very good comedy.

*** (out of four)

I was only twelve years old when I saw this movie in the theaters. I could not stop laughing during the entire movie! Everyone in the theater (sadly it wasn't packed) burst out laughing at what seemed like every single line. Although the play within the movie is a sex farce, other than Nicolette Sheridan running around in her underwear, this movie is still appropriate for the whole family. Parents need not worry about covering their childrens' eyes or ears.

The entire cast was picture perfect in their comedic timing. The visual sequences backstage were stunning in their crispness, all the while making the audience have fits of laughter. I laughed so hard I cried, and this was when I was only twelve. Michael Caine is great as a hard-nosed director. Nobody does physical comedy like John Ritter. Carol Burnett's expressions in the movie are just priceless. And, this is one of the last movies Christopher Reeve made before his riding accident that left him paralyzed. I never knew he could do comedy, having grown up on the Superman movies, but seeing him as a bumbling idiot cracked me up. And kudos to the rest of the cast for a delightful comedy!

Having been involved in several productions in high school, Noises Off hits even closer to home, as the backstage shenanigans, though not as brutal, DO happen quite often, for those of you who've never done theater. I loved watching the movie again after I finished high school and had the experience of having performed on stage. Now there were experiences I could relate to, like two actors hating each other, love triangles (or even quadrilaterals!), and missing props. Backstage during a play can be one of the most hectic places in the world! And the cast superbly brings out the sheer insanity of it, to the delight of the audience.

Looking at the last 10 years, to be cliche, they just don't make movies like this anymore. Now the trend seems to be toilet humor like There's Something About Mary, South Park, and any Jim Carrey movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the two movies mentioned above and laughed my butt off, but I laughed because of the toilet humor and the raunchiness. And this comedy made me laugh more than I ever have for any movie, bar none. It is all the more refreshing to see a comedy where toilet humor is not needed to leave the audience in stitches. A little sex humor, yes, but it is on the mild side, tame enough even for little kids. It is not about "let's see, what can we put in the movie to REALLY gross out the audience?"

So, go rent this movie today! It is worth however much it costs! If you have never done theater in your life, you will find it a nonstop comedy of errors. If you have done/are doing theater, you will love this movie on another level. Watch it by yourself; watch it with others. It really doesn't matter, but most likely you'll want to share this movie with your family, your friends, your loved ones, etc.

You may have to see it a few times to catch it all, as it is very fast paced, but there's not very many movies that have made me laugh so much. An amazing cast with amazing acting. Often overlooked is the ability to maintain character without busting up laughing at what your co-star is doing...especially during long takes, which this movie has many of. The late, great John Ritter's performance is the glue that holds it all together, and Michael Caine's depiction of the pained and tormented director is brilliant. It is also a great show of diversity for the late Christopher Reeve, who is much more Clark Kent than Superman in this show. Nicolette Sheridan in her undies is certainly not hard to look at either!

Highly recommended...but don't just see it once, as I wrote before. It was a bit confusing on my first one. It is also fairly family-friendly, with only a couple obscenities exclaimed by Michael Caine in hilariously funny moments of frustration.