Caveman

I just had a look at the new DVD of one of my all-time favorite comedies (and I don't watch a lot of comedies), `Caveman.' It's one of the VERY few comedies that I can watch more than once. The rudimentary nature of much of the humor doesn't, in my opinion, make it a kid's film, although I think lots of kids would enjoy it. Bumping your head or falling on your arse has been funny since the Jurassic period. That's one of the great constants of human culture. Mix in some stop-motion rubber dinosaurs and a huge bug, and I think you'd have to have a stick permanently implanted up the bum not to at least get some laughs.

After reading some of the other comments, I'd like to make a point or two about this film: Yes, the stop-motion dinosaurs are not realistic. It's a comedy (duh!), and they're supposed to be funny, not realistically frightening a la Jurassic Park. The language spoken isn't Swedish (are you putting us on, dude from Toronto?), but a prehistoric language fabricated for this film. Caveman flicks have been doing that at least since the 1940 version of `One Million B.C.,' and these made-up caveman languages always sound to me a bit like Esperanto, another fabricated language. The language in `Caveman' may have been intended to parody that old film cliché.

The menu of the new DVD offers multiple soundtracks in English, French and Spanish. Be sure to check them out, suckers. There's really no extras on the DVD (some commentary from Ringo might have been fun), but it has an excellent anamorphic picture, which is enough for me. It never looked quite as good as it does here. It's just a good-natured comedy that's executed with style and artistry. It looks great, has some superb comedic actors that hit just the right note, and gets maximum effect from the simple gags it presents without in the least belaboring them (Mel Brooks fanatics, take note).

This movie may not be an example of great acting, or great writing, but it is great entertainment! I could watch it 50 times, and every time, I see a little bit more. The humor is often subtle, and sometimes it hits you in the face, but it is always FUNNY.... and what's so bad about that??? I recommend this movie to anyone who wants just to laugh, and be silly, and not think too hard. Simply enjoy! Ringo is a hoot! Dennis Quaid is perfect as the simple sidekick! Barbara Bach is sexy and sufficiently manipulative. And Shelley Long does the classic good girl perfectly! And the ending is oh-so-satisfying! What more could you want?

I had pretty low expectations when I first saw this movie. I then found it hilariously funny. Some of the humor is a little juvenile, but the "caveman" language (developed by Ringo Starr himself ... I think he claimed once on the Tonight Show that his favorite word was "zug-zug," which meant "having sex") was great; also an amusing scene where the cavemen who speak this language meet a caveman who speaks English and tries to teach it to them.

Not to mention dumb dinosaurs, a humungous mosquito, Atouk's (Ringo Starr) pile of unappreciated inventions, and Lana's (Bach) come-uppance at the end.

Good, mindless fun.

Some movies are to be taken serious, this is not one of them. It's a comical look at prehistoric life. It's not supposed to be accurate in historic detail, it's supposed to make you laugh and this movie did just that. Ringo Starr is great as the unlikely hero Atouk and his wife at the time, Barbara Bach plays the sexy prehistoric temptress wonderfully. Watch for scenes with Shelley Long and Dennis Quaid and you get a glimpse of their early careers.

In the Stone Age, the strong caveman Tonda (John Matuszak) is the leader of a hostile tribe and the outcast Atouk (Ringo Starr) feels unrequited desire for Tonda's mate Lana (Barbara Bach). One day, Atouk is walking with his best friend Lar (Dennis Quaid) and they meet the cavewoman Tala (Shelley Long). They save her blind father Gog (Jack Gilford) from a tar pit and Tala fells unrequited affection for Atouk. Soon the smart Atouk becomes the leader of the misfit tribe and dispute the leadership of the whole clan and Lana with Tonda. But in the end, the leader needs a worthwhile mate.

"Caveman" is a hilarious silliness and is among the silliest movies ever made. But is funny and makes laugh a lot with the gags. The movie has its own language that is very easy to translate and understand the meaning of the words. Shelley Long is very beautiful and this movie introduced Ringo Starr to Barbara Bach that married each other in the end of the release year (1981). In the end, it is worthwhile watching this entertaining comedy. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Caveman – O Homem das Cavernas" ("Caveman – The Caveman")