AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Hunter Lanier If this entire film was constructed solely for the sake of a single joke--a mime speaking the only word in a silent film--I would be okay with that. Luckily, there's a little more to it."Silent Movie," written, directed, and starring Mel Brooks as Mel Funn, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood director--dressed as a sea captain, for some reason--looking for his comeback, which he believes will come in the form of a silent movie. He's joined by two cohorts, Marty Feldman--dressed as an aviator; something tells me Feldman wouldn't be able to acquire a pilot's license--and Dom DeLuise--dressed relatively normal, though bordering on golf enthusiast. The three must recruit major Hollywood stars in order for the studio to greenlight their film. The thorn in my side when it comes to this movie--and the same goes for 2011's "The Artist"--is that if this had come out prior to '29, nobody would care, and it would be seen as an imitation of greater artists. Many of the gags in the film simply lack the choreography and elegance of Chaplin, Keaton or Lloyd. Take a scene in which the three buffoons disguise themselves as knights in order to draft Liza Minnelli; it merely involves the three falling over, getting back up and falling over again, and goes on way too long. This isn't to say, however, that the film doesn't its moments; it has several, actually.Brooks is famous for having the world's most sophisticated fart joke--the coffee and bean diet of cowboys; it's only logical--and in this film, he performs the miracle of making an erection joke clever. Also, the running gag of bizarre California businesses is consistently funny, such as an acupuncture facility, in which customers walking out all look like hedgehogs. A frisky Coca-Cola machine nearly steals the show, and comes in handy later in a appropriately ridiculous manner. And who among us cannot crack a smile when witness to a high-speed wheelchair chase between Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise and Paul Newman. One would be remiss not to mention the fact that Burt Reynolds has both his name and a portrait of his face across the front of his mansion; if he doesn't have such a thing in real life, I will be sorely disappointed.While the film misses more than it hits, it's a pleasure to see it swing. The jokes that fall flat are quickly swept away by the charm of the movie and the childish optimism at the heart of it. I would rank it second-tier Brooks, along with "High Anxiety" and "History of the World, Part I." But second-tier Brooks is first-tier anyone else.

SnoopyStyle In Hollywood, director Mel Funn (Mel Brooks) is a recovering alcoholic trying to make a comeback. Along with his friends Dom Bell (Dom DeLuise) and Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman), he's trying to pitch a silent movie to Big Picture Studios chief (Sid Caesar). Facing a hostel takeover, he approves the project as long as they get the biggest stars to commit to the film. They are able to sign Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, Anne Bancroft and Paul Newman. Marcel Marceau says no. Mel falls completely in love with Vilma Kaplan (Bernadette Peters) but she turns out to be a spy trying to stop the film. This drives Mel back to the bottle.God bless Mel Brooks. I love that he's trying something unusual. The problem is that it doesn't make it funny. The story is simply an excuse to have one gag after another while the stars make cameos. I want this to be gut busting hilarity. I can only say that I like the characters and everybody's effort. The best silent comedians for me are Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Their comedies are much more physical and sometimes have great memorable stunts. I appreciate this attempt but not the result.

SanteeFats You must pay attention to the subtitles in this movie. I usually will not watch a subtitled movie but this one is worth it. Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise what more can one ask for in a comedy movie??? Harold Gould plays a campy studio head well. Sid Caesar, ahhh, what can one say about one of the funniest writers and directors ever? I love his movies. This one was a good one but, while I did not care for the subtitles, I did understand that they were necessary to the plot. The fact that Mel Brooks even thought of this kind of scenario just shows his comedic genius too me. I love all of his movies but of course there are some that are funnier than others. This one is one of his funnier ones even with the subtitles. '

gcd70 Far and away Brook's best film, even though that's not saying much. Sight gags are Mel's forte, so turning the sound off was the best idea he ever had. Funny most of the way through, it is only occasionally that this dig at the silent pic gets tiresome. Moments of real hilarity serve to temper the dull ones.Stars are in plentiful supply, including main players Brooks, Feldman, Dom DeLuise, Bernadette Peters and Sid Caesar. Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minelli, Anne Bancroft, Paul Newman and Marcel Marceau all drop in to help make "Silent Movie" a hit.Saturday, January 8, 2000 - Video