The Humor Saves It

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2019)

This is one of those movies I would never watch on my own but as a substitute teacher I keep having to sit through it in different classroom.
What really jumps out at me every time is how funny this movie is. Danny DeVito is famous for being funny, but James Woods is more like a serious dramatic actor. It's amazing how funny Danny DeVito is as the trainer of heroes, but what's even more incredible is that James Woods takes a very ugly, sinister villain, Hades, and makes him really funny. His dialogue and personality made the movie for me.
I also thought Samantha Egan was incredible as Meg, the bad girl who falls for Hercules in spite of herself. Was I the only one who noticed the way the writers kept referencing Robert Redford's baseball classic THE NATURAL? Meg keeps calling Hercules "Wonderboy" and her relationship with him is just like Memo's with Roy Hobbs. And just like Memo is controlled by sinister bookie Gus Sands, Meg is being controlled by Hades and forced to ruin Hercules against her will!
The humor and romance made this a great movie for me. The only thing I didn't like was how Pegasus is basically just Tinkerbell on four legs. I think horses should have more dignity!