Sunday, October 22, 2006
BARELY FUNNY
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was the Zuckers' and Abraham's
OK. It was funny. I laughed quite a bit.
Like rock and roll, it is a lot of fun even though it does not stand up to scrutiny.
I think that it has some really good things going for it. The production values are very high. The walk-ons are brilliant and extreme—Weird Al Yankovic to John Houseman—and involve good gags.
Leslie Nielsen is Leslie Nielsen. George Kennedy is his foil. Priscilla Presley is pretty good. O.J. Simpson is played like Step'n Fetchit. No killer there.
I think that these early satiric films hold up very well. But some are better than others.
We just saw Animal House but there is no comparison. I know. Comparisons are odious. Nevertheless.
This one is going to get a 3 out of 5. The Deltas got a 5+.
Leslie Nielsen (a horrendous name to remember how to spell—two ie combinations and an e at the end) has been around a long time.
I remember him as a serious actor on television. I was a kid. He is pushing 90.
He changed his career when he appeared in Airplane, bringing his clueless gravitas to bear on his role as a doctor.
Here is a guy who has gone with the flow.
