sancho01

As a community theater actor who works hard at it but doesn't take acting too seriously, I'm always amused by those who treat it as Great Art. This movie skewers the "Actor's Craft" mercilessly while dishing up a lot of good laughs.

A ham actor on location for a movie bears a resemblance to the dictator. When the dictator dies of a heart attack from too much drink and food, the actor is kidnapped and forced to play "the part of a lifetime" by the neo-Nazi head of the secret service. He plays it to the hilt, gets the dictator's girlfriend to fall in love with him and vice versa, and turns the tables on his captors beautifully.

Lots of great shtick by the leads, lots of good work by some unknown supporting actors, particularly the household staff and two members of the palace guard, and fun little cameos abound. Sammy Davis Jr. makes light of himself, Jonathan Winters plays a semi-retired American businessman with something else going on, and Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, and above all Richard Dreyfuss are exceptional.

This is a dumb movie, but it has lots of beautiful locations (in Brazil), a humorous script, and good actors doing their thing and looking like they're actually having fun and not going through the usual existential angst about what is only play-acting!

I loathe Ed Asner and have no use for Christmas. I despise the sugary and usually fake sentiments of "The Season" (would that people would be nicer all year and not have to wallow in this phony "Good Will Toward All Men" crud for a month).

That said, I absolutely love this movie. Asner gives the performance of his career, perhaps because he leaves his political agenda outside (his character is probably even a Republican!). Stapleton matches his bravura performance. Nice character acting, even by the then-young Gregory Harrison, Veronica Hamel, Rebecca Balding, Bruce Davison, and Stephanie Zimbalist, most of whom were bound for TV scenery-chewing. Lots of capable character acting by the other veterans, especially John Randolph as Dr. Hodges.

This is truly an ensemble piece, centered around Asner and Stapleton, and everyone (even the two kids!) seems well in tune with the subject. I rarely say this, but this is an incredibly well-written film, especially by the usually treacly standards of Christmas movies.

I'd love to attempt writing a stage adaptation of this movie, but I have no idea where to even ask for the rights.