Bruits de coulisses

"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.

"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.

"Noises Off" brings door-slamming hilariousness to the screen as an adaptation of the stage play. With the cast to die for: Michael Caine, Carole Burnett, Nicolette Sheridan, Julie Haggarty, Christopher Reeve, Denholm Elliott, and John Ritter, the storyline of a cast preparing for out of town run of a comedy quickly descends to back-stage antics, jealousy, lost contact lenses, and sardines at every turn. Peter Bogdonovich steers this witty production of a play, in a play, in a play with multiple staging's as dress rehearsal, opening night, and the worst night in Cleveland is turned into a Broadway triumph.

The initial opening dress rehearsal sets up the story of the play's characters, their original entrances and exits, key lines, and props if all went well. From then on, the production deteriorates with backstage gossip, romances, and fiasco mistakes that quickly become running jokes of missed timing, malfunctioning props, and erratic ego's out of control. Each character's quirks are their achilles heel and from start to finish, the play's momentum keeps the cast on their toes as they step on and over each other to curtain.

If you've ever done theatre at any level, this film is for you. It is simply the most hysterical comedy of timing and entrances. If you've wondered about theatre productions, this film is for you. And, if you just love the theater, this film is definitely for you. It is filled with trueisms that have happened, will happen, and could happen in all the disastrous and varied forms.

I caught this film originally on HBO and laughed so hard I had to buy the video. It is a wonderful film for great performances by the late actors, Reeve, Ritter, and Elliott, and their brilliance is all the more bittersweet by the excellence of their timing, physical humor, and read of the lines. For the sex is Desperate Housewife, Nicolette Sheridan in her underwear from moment one to last scene, on her knees, and blind as a bat without contacts. Michael Caine should have been acknowledged for this performance as he is so perfect as the harried director that it makes his work in drama all the better.

Each time I catch this film, it gets funnier and makes me laugh to tears. See it just to cry over what great talent has been lost too young, and just be amazed and amuzed at what great ensemble casting is all about behind and in front of the curtain.

This movie is a great film, period. Great concept, great cast, great plot. The inherent problem is the fact that most of this humor, though very fresh, is lost on most people. Unless you have acted on stage in some facet, this movie is mere slapstick. I saw this movie when I was younger, before I started acting, and I liked it, but it just seemed kind of shallow. Now that I have some stage under my belt, this movie's humor is mindblowing, because the insanity is just that outrageous. I'm not saying people can't like this movie if they aren't actors, but it helps. What helps this movie as well is the intellect of the humor. Below all the slapstick site gags and bad happenings, the depth of the character development is vast and beautiful, making you really think that these people, in the end, hate each other.