Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

gridoon2018 "What's Up, Tiger Lily" is not the film that put Woody Allen on the map - "What's New, Pussycat?" did that, the previous year - but it is the film that showed his wit is not only irreverent, but also unique: nobody had attempted before to do what he does here. And would you believe that he actually manages to tell a reasonably coherent spy story (about an egg salad recipe!) through his dubbed dialogue?! The original film does have fairly slick production values (apart from some shots where the sea looks like a painted backdrop) and two gorgeous, gorgeous Japanese women in its cast (they both starred in the Bond film "You Only Live Twice"!). Woody's version has some laugh-out-loud moments, but it does wear thin in the course of its 80 minutes; I agree with Pauline Kael's comment that it would have been better as a short. However, the film's best jokes ("Beware of the man with....with....with....with....") are so good that they can make you laugh even when you're remembering them later, though in my opinion the single funniest line belongs to Woody himself: "it's a great film, beautiful color, lots of raping and looting and killing!". **1/2 out of 4.

Terrell Howell (KnightsofNi11) What's Up, Tiger Lily? is... well... odd. It's Woody Allen's directorial debut of sorts. What he has done is taken a Japanese film from 1965 and redubbed it for comedic effect. The original film is a spy flick in which the main characters are searching for some important piece of microfilm. In Woody Allen's redub, they are instead looking for the perfect egg salad recipe. Yes. The only real adjective to describe this movie with would be... silly. Redubs that change the plot of the film are not something we see a lot, as least not that I know of. So it is neat to see a talent like Woody Allen do this and succeed for the most part. There isn't much to this film and its more or less just a gimmick than an actual credible film. Overall its not something you can really criticize without looking like an ignorant asshole. Despite anything else I could possibly say about this movie, I will admit that it is really funny. There are a few clever parts where I laughed out loud, and the movie as a whole was definitely amusing.There's not really much else to say about What's Up, Tiger Lily? Watch it if you want a good laugh and nothing more. It's probably a good thing that this kind of filmmaking hasn't gone anywhere, but I can definitely imagine watching this back in 1966 and thinking, "Hey, this Allen guy is going places." It's obviously not his best and hardly worth mentioning above his other films. So I guess I will finish this out as a short review for a short movie (80 minutes). What's Up Tiger Lily? should at least make you laugh if you accept it for what it is.

headly66 My friends and I have traded lines from this movie since I first saw it in high school in the 80's. Spartan Dog! Spanish Fly! I still laugh my ass off at this movie today. People may say it's dated but if you love Woody and get all the jokes (which I think most kids today won't) it is hilarious and will always be a classic. Woody is probably kicking himself he let this out of his ownership hands as many people are commenting on edited or re dubbed versions shown on TV. When I heard the great line again in the beginning when Phil Moscowitz looks at the girl when he opens her towel & gives his third Presidential answer as Lincoln (referring to his beard) I couldn't help but laugh had this been written today & he could have answered Bush! Just plain silly stuff that I still cry at including the shower peeking scene, "MOM!?" and "Where am I going to get a long thin coffin?!!" This movie is diffidently meant as background to a group hangout with friends accompanied by some intoxicants.

LCShackley When I was in high school (early 70s), this was a cult favorite. But of course, when it would occasionally show up on late-night TV, it would be severely chopped. Nevertheless, there were some jokes that always made me laugh:1) Detective grabs his head in pain and says, "Oh, my leg!" 2) Crazy Peter Lorre-voiced guy "marries" his chicken to a cobra. Passerby covers face with hankie and says, "I always cry at weddings." 3) Scene in tower where the director and his wife make their mandatory walk-on appearance.When it showed up uncut on cable recently, I looked forward to renewing my acquaintance with a big laugh-fest, but was disappointed. The jokes I remembered were there...but not much else to bust a gut about. There are long stretches where nothing much funny happens, because Woody's hands were tied by the footage he was given. Another drawback of the process is that Woody can't program in any sight gags, which are such an important part of his later films. So we're left with some weak verbal humor and lots of dead spots (frequently involving John Sebastian and friends).We have to remind ourselves that at the time this was released, Woody was primarily known as a stand-up comedian (3 successful LPs), and as a writer for TV and print. He was not a filmmaker yet. He merely tried to bring his brand of stand-up to the Japanese spy movie he was given. For the time, I suppose this would have been a little racy and the humor was different than what you'd find on TV. But it hasn't worn well over the 40 years since its release. I'd rather watch Jay Ward's FRACTURED FLICKERS show, which was a definitive masterpiece of old movie parody.To me, the weirdest thing of all is to see Woody speak during the closing credits but hear someone else's voice. That says a lot about how well the producers thought America knew Woody.Although I enjoyed Woody's early films in high school and college, if I had to choose an era of his career to focus on, I'd start with Zelig (1983) and go through Radio Days (1987). I don't think "What's Up Tiger Lily" would even make my top 20 list.