Justice Is Served..."Stir Crazy"

Stir Crazy (1980)

Rated R

Starring Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Barry Corbin, Georg Stanford Brown,

Directed by Sidney Poitier

The Story:

Skip (Wilder) and Harry (Pryor) leave New York and head west to start over. When the duo are accused of robbing a bank, they are tried and convicted most expeditiously to begin serving their time in jail. When Skip shows a propensity to be able to ride a mechanical bull, the warden (Corbin) sees dollar signs in the annual upcoming rodeo contest, and Skip and Harry see a way out of their predicament.

The second of four comedies between Wilder and Pryor, I had decided to rent this one again since I hadn't seen it since probably 1980/81 and remembered very little about it.

Aside from the "that's right, we bad" scene and the dancing birds costumes, that was probably the sum total of my memory.

I watched this a few weeks back, and added the movie to my "To Be Reviewed" pile, probably as a #ThrowbackThursday review.

Then Gene Wilder passed away, and I debated, do I do a R.I.P. Gene tribute piece or not?

To be fair, I enjoyed Wilder's performances in just about anything I saw from him, but sadly, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, and See No Evil, Hear No Evil were pretty much my entire catalog of Wilder's works.

But look at that list again.

That's a pretty impressive list of comedies all on their own merits.

Wilder actually steals most of the scenes he is in, even though it's a lock that Pryor's character is normally the crazier, funnier one in their duos.

Wilder brings an everyman approach to the role. His characters seem honest, unassuming and likable.

So when he rides the mechanical bull like it's nothing, you have no doubt in your mind that he's as happy on that bull as we are to be watching him.

So we've lost another Hollywood great, but he's left behind a pretty good legacy on film.

Even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though that movie is just too creepy to really be enjoyable.

:)

So if you're up for a laugh, you'll be hard-pressed to not find one under the Wilder/Pryor catalog.

Though I still have one more that I've never seen.

Hmmm....

Final Grade: Solid B

Murder Most Fun! "See No Evil, Hear No Evil"

See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)

Rated R for language and nudity

Starring Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Joan Severance, Kevin Spacey

Directed by Arthur Hiller

The Story:

Wally (Pryor) is blind. Dave (Wilder) is deaf.  They are both witness to a murder committed by Eve (Severance).  The problem, nobody believes them, and when they escape from the police to find the killer themselves, the chase is on!

Hahahahaha... I forgot how funny this movie was.

I really only remembered the line "Fuzzy wuzzy was a woman".

If you've never seen the film before, you'll understand after you watch it.

If you have, it should bring back pleasant memories.

Reuniting Wilder and Pryor was a no-brainer that Hollywood simply failed to take full advantage of.

They teamed with Hiller, their director from the first collaboration, Silver Streak, and once again murder most foul played an important role in the storyline.

Amusingly, the object that everyone is chasing after is almost an afterthought by the end of the film.

Instead, the fun is having a blind and deaf guy chase bad guys across town while evading the police.

There are several hilarious gags that unfold during the film, and Pryor and Wilder sell it like the comedic champs they are.

Also, a very notable, largish role for Kevin Spacey before he became... Kevin Spacey!

Available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Very funny stuff.  It had been about 25 years since I last saw it.  Hopefully I don't wait as long next time.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 52 ~ Young Frankenstein

It would be hard to argue that Young Frankenstein is Mel Brooks' finest film.  While not as side-splitting as Blazing Saddles, this has enough laugh out loud gags and more subtle and visual humor to impress the audiences that have enjoyed it for the last few decades.

I would have to say that much of the credit needs to go to Gene Wilder, in both instances, for grounding the manic, throw it at the wall and see what sticks that Mel Brooks would become with his later films.

However, Young Frankenstein plays as a love letter/homage and direct spoof to the early 30s monster movies from Universal, yes, Frankenstein in particular.

Using much of the same props from the original film and shooting in glorious black and white, Brooks has created a timeless movie that is still as fresh and funny today as it was in 1974.

With Gene Wilder in the title role of the man who is desperately trying to escape his family name and crazed history... he slowly succumbs to the madness thanks to the help of his assistant Igor and the fact that...

It just might work!

I'll assume you read the previous paragraph with the appropriate introductory pronunciations of the character names. : )

If not, you now have.

And naturally, if you've never seen this film, it is just one of a half million gags that you have to see to enjoy.

If I had to recommend only one film to show people who ask "What was Mel Brooks best movie?" this would be the obvious choice.

Even Frau Blucher would agree.

:: in the dark, horses whinny! ::