A nearly flawless comedy

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2005)

This is Mel Brooks' first and best film. It combined great writing, outlandish sensibilities and top-notch acting. Everything just worked together flawlessly.
As far as acting goes, this was the first of several brilliant movies for Gene Wilder (followed up by Young Frankenstein, Start the Revolution Without Me and Willie Wonka), though the movie was really the showpiece for Zero Mostel! Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a washed up Broadway producer who seduces VERY old ladies to finance his long series of flops. Wilder is his assistant who helps him plan the ultimate caper---to deliberately produce the world's WORST play and sell 25,000% of it (since it will fail--who needs to pay off the elderly backers?). Unfortunately, despite their finding the worst play imaginable ("Springtime for Hitler"), the worst director and worst actor, it is taken by the audiences as great camp and the play becomes an unexpected success!! And then, the fun begins! This movie is simply great. It is unconventional, but not quite as much as some of my other favorites (such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Strange Brew), so MOST viewers (if they give it a chance) will enjoy this.