Product: Murder by Death (1976)
Rating: 4.0
Neil Simon Works It to Death
I am sorry, but I have always loved this silly, broad comedy by the great comic playwright Neil Simon. It is outlandish, over the top and shake-your-head funny. With more stars than there were at MGM, the picture bounces happily between the cast of characters all of which were definetly type cast.There's the wonderful David Niven and daffy but classy Maggie Smith as Dick and Dora Charles; Peter Sellers as the goofy Mr. Wong who can't say his pronouns correctly; James Coco doing a riff on Peirot and freaking out over no dinner; the marvelous duo of Elsa Manchester and her nurse (whom she wheels around in her chair)the ancient Estelle Winwood who has a bit of a flatulence problem and Eileen Brennan and Peter Falk as Bogie and Bacall. Add to this eclectic mix Alec Guiness as the blind butlerand Nancy Walker as the deaf mute maid and you are really over the top. Truman Capote adds the final exlamation point to the proceedings as Lionel Twain, our wierdo host for the weekend who's address is-you guessed it-22 Twain. That says it all. A very, very funny picture.