Más loco que un plumero

I have seen many funny movies come and go, but I have yet to see a movie as funny as this one! My brother and I saw this movie on cable, back in 1983 when i was 13 years old, and we were literally on the floor "cracking up"!! It really lives up to its title!! Jerry Lewis was at his very best! Thumbs wayyyyy up!!

THIS is the film Jerry Lewis should have made his min-comeback with instead of the mawkish "Hardly Working". Yes, there isn't much of a story here, but like "The Bellboy" the gags for the most part are really pretty funny. The opening title sequence may contain Jerry's best moment in the film as he tries to cross a highly polished floor. Then listen what happens when the title card of the film's composer comes up. The scene where Jerry plays a cop and pulls over a overweight speeder is also one of his funniest in years. Can't argue this is a great film, but it IS funny and that's something Jerry had not been since at least "The Big Mouth" back in 1967. The other films Jerry made around this time were either just terrible ("Slapstick Encounters") or featured more of his dramatic side ("KIng of Comedy", "Funny Bones"). This film is just plain funny and its too bad it never got a wide theatrical release.

Cracking Up (1983)

1/2 (out of 4)

Jerry Lewis wrote, produced and directs this film where he also stars as a nerd who wants to commit suicide for his various problems. He ends up going to Dr. Pletchick (Herb Edelman) who tries to cure him of his dumbness.

For his 90th birthday Mr. Lewis appeared on Turner Classic Movies to discuss various films and I must admit that I was a little shocked that they were showing this picture. In his introduction Lewis talked about the constant pain he is in from various falls that he did to get a laugh throughout his career. Lewis was in a lot of pain while making this movie and it's rather sad that he did so many physical things here because the end result is quite horrible and it certainly wasn't worth the pain he had to go through.

I'm not going to sit here and say that I never laughed because that would be a lie. There were a couple segments that had a couple laughs but the majority of the film is just a complete misfire. It really does seem as if Lewis was sitting around drinking with friends and coming up with stuff they thought were funny in their drunken minds. On film it just doesn't work. The opening sequence has Lewis walking into a hotel to kill himself. He has many objects to do so and we see him fail at doing it. The next scene is a very long sequence where he's trying to get into the doctor's office but keeps sliding and falling everywhere.

There's a lot of physical humor like this where Lewis is trying to recapture his earlier days but it just doesn't work. There are so many awful moments here that you honestly can't blame anyone but Lewis. Naturally comedy is a subjective thing but I doubt even the French would laugh at this film. There are many cameos throughout including Milton Berle dressed in drag, Sammy Davis, Jr. playing himself and Dick Butkus. As for Lewis, he plays several characters here but all the effort was really for nothing because the film is rather embarrassing.

This movie was one of Jerry Lewis's best in my opinion. I really think he is a good actor, director, writer, etc. and this movie definitely showed it. Lewis played a troubled man seemed to be cursed with bad luck. He showed off his talent by playing multiple characters, expressing the goofs that have happened during the course of his life. Must see this movie, it was awesome!

Jerry's finally lost it.

I knew he was going downhill with "Hardly Working", which left him just that. But with "Cracking Up", he finds himself stuck with a movie that is so loud, so shrill and so in-your-face that laughing at it is not an option. You just want to analyze it to death.

As an all-around crackpot, Jerry sees a psychiatrist (Edelman) to try and get to the bottom of why he is in such sad shape.

The vignettes, when not repetitive, are just plain dumb. See, one part has him trying to quit smoking, so he goes to seek help. Now, whenever he lights up, Dick Butkus pops out of nowhere and belts him one. He shows up out of the bushes, in a buffet line, as a statue, etc. Cute at the beginning, but after the eleventh or twelfth time, it gets kind of annoying.

There is a bit part for Sammy Davis Jr. but his best role is in an out-take at the end where Jerry hoists him up and announces, "I'd like to thank the NAACP for this award...."

So, you see, Jerry can be funny. He used to be funny and there are times when he still has funniness within his grasp. But not here.

Three stars from me. Eight stars if you're a rabid fan. Ten stars if you're reading this in France.