SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

ComedyFan2010 Mel Brooks is a well known name in comedy and since I also know Alfred Hitchcock movies I thought it would be a good idea to watch this one. It ended up not as great as I expected, but it is still not a bad movie. Unfortunately most of the time I didn't find it too funny. I am not sure if this was like that back when it came out as well or if the humor has changed in the mast few decades.I definitely enjoyed the parody scenes. Mainly the one in the shower, that one was hilarious. The one where the birds are after him is also pretty good. As well when he comes out of the airport in the beginning.Otherwise it wasn't that great. But I really did like the character of Nurse Diesel. This was a great one.A wonderful job by Cloris Leachman. Actually the best scenes in the movie that didn't involve Hitchcock's parody were the ones with her and Harvey Korman. I believe if they wouldn't be in it I would see this movie as below average.

classicsoncall Alfred Hitchcock gets the Mel Brooks treatment here with rapid fire parodies of films like "Psycho", "The Birds", "North by Northwest" and "Vertigo", so if you're a Hitchcock fan there's some amusing stuff here. I thought the Mr. MacGuffin reference was clever but didn't see any other fans pick up on it in their reviews here. Charlie Callas must have been the MacGuffin in this picture, after we see him the first time he doesn't show up again. Harvey Korman makes for an interesting match as Dr. Montague for Cloris Leachman's Nurse Diesel character. Gosh, wasn't she hideous as the nurse from hell? I thought Louise Fletcher was pretty intense as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but Diesel would have given her a run for the money. As others have noted, Mel Brooks himself might not have been the best choice for Thorndyke, and the parodies are mostly way over the top (The Bird droppings are particularly gross), but it's what you've come to expect from the comic director. It's not his best work, but you can tell the players are having fun. It would have been very cool if Hitch had made a cameo, why didn't anyone think of that?

MissSimonetta Honestly, this movie isn't that great. Mel Brooks was never much of a leading man and the role of the nervous psychiatrist would have been better suited to Gene Wilder. The plot is too loose for its own good, the direction is dull, and some of the comedic routines are annoying rather than side-splitting.What saves this movie is the supporting cast, mainly Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman. I chuckled at most of the film, but laughed myself senseless whenever they came on the screen. The scene where she has him tied up in the closet had me and my sisters in stitches for several minutes afterward. Howard Morris is great too as Professor Lilloman, and I really wish he had been given more to do.The only weak spots in the supporting cast are Ron Carey as Brooks' sidekick and Madeline Kahn as the Hitchcock blonde character, Victoria. Carey is just unfunny, though I blame the writing more than the actor. Kahn is usually amazing, but she is wasted in a part that doesn't let her do anything outside of spouting exposition.Overall, you'll have more regard for the parts than the whole.

Scott LeBrun Mel Brooks's "High Anxiety" isn't on the level of his masterpieces "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" but still works nicely as an affectionate spoof of the films of suspense master Alfred Hitchcock. Working in references to "Vertigo", "Psycho", "The Birds", and "North by Northwest", among other classics, it stars Brooks himself as eminent doctor Richard Thorndyke, who's just been hired as the new director of the Psycho Neurotic Institute for the Very VERY Nervous. He eventually gets wind of a dastardly plot engineered by institute staff, including hideous Nurse Diesel (a priceless Cloris Leachman) and weaselly Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman). Fortunately, he has loyal chauffeur / sidekick Brophy (Ron Carey) and lovely Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn, looking quite fetching in a long blonde wig) on his side, as he seeks to discover the fate of Victoria's father Arthur. "High Anxiety" is best described as the kind of movie that has moments; it does indeed have some great comedy set pieces, but others don't work quite as well. It's probably best appreciated by Hitchcock aficionados, who will delight in the references to Hitch's work. Mel, who co-wrote and produced as well, is fun to watch, with the supporting cast (also featuring Howard Morris, Dick Van Patten, Jack Riley, Charlie Callas, Murphy Dunne, and Robert Ridgely) truly getting into the spirit of the thing. Buffs will be pleased to note that that's legendary artist Albert J. Whitlock, who'd actually worked with Hitch, playing the role of Arthur Brisbane, and that future director Barry Levinson ("Diner", "Rain Man"), also one of the writers, plays the lazy, complaining hotel bellboy. Mel further entertains us by belting out the title ditty, which he also composed, and comes up with some genuinely laugh inducing gags. For one thing, we're always made well aware we're watching a movie, as cameras crash into windows and the characters on screen actually take notice of the music score. (Mel upon exiting an airport, at which point the score abruptly cuts off: "What a dramatic airport!") Mel and Madeline also make a wonderful pair and do a great routine at an another airport late in the film. Of all the spoofing done in the film, the jokes relating to "The Birds" are this viewers' personal favourite. Highly recommended to fans of both Hitch and Mel, this begins and ends brightly, and remains likable throughout. Seven out of 10.