Sheer Comic Genius

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2006)

Mel Brook's script and direction, Zero Mostel as Max Bialystok, Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom, Dick Shawn as LSD, Renee Taylor as "Eva", Bill Hickey as the "drunk", Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind, Christopher Hewett as Roger De Bris, Andréas Voutsinas as Carmen Ghia and the whole damn cast right down the line put on one of the funniest films ever. If you weren't their at the time it's hard to recall what a groundbreaking film it was. Along with other comic classics of the time like "Where's Poppa" (Carl Reiner), "Blazing Saddles" (Mel Brooks), "Young Frankentein" (Brooks again!) and to a lesser extent "Cat Ballou" this film was startlingly, hysterically, stomach cramp-makingly funny and sheer comic genius. The idea of two ne'r-do-wells trying to make money by hiring the worst director, cast and writer to produce the worst play in history as a guaranteed flop as these two fools sell 1,000% of the show and what is the show-- But the musical version of the life of Adolph Hitler! Only a comic genius like Mel Brooks could have come up with this and what an amazing cast he assembled.
If you've never seen it, run out and rent it. If you have-- you know what I mean!