Movie Movie

"Movie Movie" is one of the finest examples of deadpan spoofery to ever hit the big screen. In the same vein as the iconically deader-than-deadpan Leslie Nielsen in "Airplane!" except predating it by 2 years, here we get a buffet of fine dramatic actors like George C. Scott ("Patton"), Eli Wallach ("The Good, the Bad & the Ugly"), Harry Hamlin ("Clash of the Titans") plus fantastic stage legends like Ann Reinking ("All That Jazz") and Barry Bostwick ("Rocky Horror") all pouring their talents into a riotously absurd script. They do it so straight-faced that you'll probably miss at least 25% of the hilarious lines, and that's why this is such a great flick for repeat viewings.

Honestly, I found myself watching the entire film with my remote in hand so I could rewind and catch all the sneaky zingers that slipped past while I was still laughing at the last one. This is the kind of movie that you can quote endlessly to your friends until you have no friends left.

Some choice lines include:

(door knocking) "Oh! That must be the door."

or "It's been my lifelong dream! For years."

or "Can I walk you home?" "Sure, New York's a free country." (that one took me a while)

Played totally straight with no rim shots, laugh tracks or often without even a comedic beat, these gags truly put the tongue so firmly in cheek that you'd think you're at the dentist. George C. Scott, fresh off his Academy Award for playing the stone-hearted General Patton, is surprisingly perfect in this deadpan role as you might've guessed from his performance in "Dr Strangelove" 15 years earlier. In fact, the humor here is very similar to that classic film with clever, absurd wordplays driving the entire show. So if you cracked a smile at Strangelove's "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room" then I guarantee you'll have plenty to keep you laughing during this flick.

The story. "Movie Movie" is essentially a mockup of a 1930s double feature, right down to the hilarious previews at intermission. The first segment is a black & white drama about a young New York boxer "Joey Popchik" (Harry Hamlin in his 1st film) who needs to make $20,000 real fast so his sister can afford eye surgery in Vienna---plus $5000 "for car fare". This segment is a surprisingly meticulous homage to the golden age of Hollywood, with first class cinematography and lighting that would put it on par with the best film noir masterpieces out there. Dialogue is similarly right in sync with the wisecracking lingo and accents of the time, and if you didn't know better you'd think you were watching a lost reel from "On the Waterfront" (by the way Marlon Brando's older sister Jocelyn plays the mother). If you're familiar with Hollywood's b&w classics, it helps to get you in on the jokes but it's not required. The witty dialogue is plenty enough to tickle your ribs right under your nose behind your back.

The 2nd "feature", starring the same actors often in nearly identical roles, is a lavish, colorful MGM type musical that would make Mel Brooks bust a gut. Again, there are no overt sight gags or ba-dum-ching zingers, but even funnier, it's pure straight-faced & straight-laced deadpan awesomeness. The opening scene with George C. Scott ("Spatz") talking to his doctor (played by Art Carney) had me in stitches.

DOCTOR: You have 6 months to live. SPATZ: 6 months from today? Well, that's not too b-- DOCTOR: 6 months from your last appointment, which was 5 months ago. SPATZ: So that's 1 month. Well at least I have 30 days-- DOCTOR: This is February.

Again, I can't stress enough how great the delivery is. I can't think of any other films that nail the tone & timing so well except for the aforementioned Leslie Nielsen in "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" (Leslie himself being a serious dramatic actor who simply read his lines without any comedic twang). This is definitely an unusual type of comedy, if not the only one of its kind. But if you're a fan of this sort of humor, you absolutely must see it. My review can't do it justice. Or as Joey says in the movie: "It was the late great Gloves Malloy who said how hard it is to say what there are no words for."

I viewed this movie in Israel, where it was shown with subtiles. Whilst discusing the movie what stood out was how those who had relied only on the text viewed it as a serious presentation exactly as the style/era that it was spofing. Contrast this with native English speakers, who also were familiar with the era could detect the various sendups and would frequently burst out in peals of laughter. All in all I found it very well presented and acted, well worth viewing both for it's content and social comment.

Affectionate parody of 1930's movies with Scott hamming it up perfectly in double roles. There's a boxing drama, then a corny musical, but it adds up to fun in this pleasant trip down Hollywood's memory lane.

Fun parody of 30s movies showing two "movies" (they're actually only 50 minutes each) done by Warren Bros. (ha ha)

The first is "Dynamite Hands" with Harry Hamlin (so young and full of life) playing a boxer to save money to...well, the plot is familar...VERY familar. Every single boxing movie cliche is hit head on with sledgehammer subtlety and the dialogue is way over the top. It's not half as clever as it thinks it is but it still works. It's quick and so energetic it's impossible to dislike. Also Hamlin is obviously enjoying himself. George C. Scott (who's in both) is in it briefly and Red Buttons (also in both) lends strong support. It was in black and white up the theatres in 1978, but it's in color on cable. Why?

"Baxter's Beauties of 1933" is a parody of those big, splashy colorful musicals. The plot is basically a combination of every cliche from musicals back then. Barry Bostwick is in it and he's just "swell" as a Dick Powell type and Rebecca York is just great as a Ruby Keeler type. The music and lyrics are just OK but this is lots of fun--beautiful sets, great singing and dancing, impressive production numbers and full of fun.

As said before, George C. Scott is in both but is (surprisingly) bad--he looks bored and unsure of his lines. Buttons is great in both but Trish Van Devere is just terrible. She's very good-looking but a horrible actress.

No great film but worth catching--a must for movie buffs.

For anyone who has grown up loving Hollywood musicals, the second half of this film is an absolute joy. Stanley Donen, who has arguably directed the greatest of these, had a chance to create an homage to them which includes every silly musical plot and song and dance device he could think of. Barry Bostwick's first number will knock your socks off and the finale (including dancers on bikes!) will put a grin on your face from start to finish. Watch for Stanley Donen's cameo as a cab driver.