Product: Murder by Death (1976)
Rating: 5.0
The funniest movie EVER
This is absolutely the funniest movie ever made. I've seen it more times that I will admit, and every time I watch it I laugh hysterically. This is a manic spoof of the "locked-door" mystery (think "Murder on the Orient Express")featuring spoofs of the most famous detectives of all time, with the notable exception of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Actually, they were originally at the end of the movie, but for some reason that scene is not included in the video. Fortunately, I remember seeing it as a small child. Every cast member is wonderful, upstaging the others during his or her lines, and then passing the torch of insanity on to the next one speaking. Fans of the wonderful "Poirot" series on A&E will particularly enjoy James Coco's conceited ever-hungry, hot chocolate guzzling Perrier. The fact that these detectives are, in their own words, "the five greatest living criminal minds" and they freak out every time they come across a dead body (and there are plenty) is hillarious. This movie is very intelligent, despite the fact that it actually makes no sense whatsoever. Neil Simon's writing is dead-on, literally. I hope this movie comes out on DVD soon. For a really fun evening, watch this movie, and then the similar "Clue" immediately afterwards. Both movies feature Eileen Brennan's character fainting, with the butler failing to catch her! For fans of mysteries, spoofs, and/or great ensemble casts!