This is one of those great films you can just curl up with on a rainy night and enjoy.
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lordxur — 17 years ago(September 26, 2008 07:03 AM)
Not that I think it would matter to those who call this film 'racist', but Sellers is portraying Sidney Wang KNOWING of the stereotypes. Charlie Chan was consistently portrayed by people that weren't in any way Asian. That's part of the jokeif you ever see the early Chan films, the stereotype is AWFUL (not quite as bad as Mickey Rooney in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', but you get the idea. Without the stereotype, you almost wouldn't know who Wang was supposed to be!
On a similar note, Coco's kinda doing the same thing with Milo Perrier. Hecule Poirot is nearly always played by an Englishman doing a French (Belgian?) accent. -
Hfuhruhurr — 17 years ago(September 28, 2008 06:16 AM)
-What is your name?
-Bensenmum.
-Thank you, Bensen.
-Bensenmum. My name is Bensenmum.
-Bensenmum?
-Yes, sir. Jamesir.
-Jamesir Bensenmum?
-Yes, sir.
-How odd.
-My father's name, sir.
-What was?
-Howard. Howard Bensenmum.
It's a classic !!!
It's silly, absurd, doesn't make any sense at all, and, as good comedy should, it takes advantage of (or rather perverts and unmasks) every clich and stereotype there is There is no comedy without "Schadenfreude", and guilty laughs CAN be quite innocent, it just depends on who you are.
So, anybody trying to get some sense out of it doesn't get it cause it's not meant to make sense. Check out bona fide comedians like Monty Python, Mel Brooks, Wilder, Feldman, ZAZ, or that one gem called "Hellzapoppin" (which actually has some racist context, historically though, not intentionally).
I mean, really, putting a blind butler against a deaf-mute cook is definitely in bad taste. That's why it is so good
I shall not judge anybody's taste. But I'm happy I'm getting "Murder by Death". And I do so because each time I watch it, I don't get it. Pure genius -
chrisbedford — 17 years ago(October 19, 2008 03:46 AM)
On a similar note, Coco's kinda doing the same thing with Milo Perrier. Hecule Poirot is nearly always played by an Englishman doing a French (Belgian?) accent.
Exactly. It always burns my butt when critics don't get that a particular spoof is mocking the exact characteristic they think it embodies - it's shallow, unthinking, and knee-jerk reactions like these that give a movie (or, on a wider scale, a lot of public debate) a bad name.
If you don't understand it, say so. If you don't like it, say so. But don't condemn it out of hand! -
wrenage — 16 years ago(May 28, 2009 10:01 AM)
I just purchased this movie after wanting to see it for a long time. I was let down. It wasn't the humor that I found lacking or the characters. The actors worked with what they had. The problem was the story. Nothing much happened. The whole movie is people showing up and then an extended revelation scene, an absurd extended relevation scene. Exposition, exposition, exposition for nothing happening. The actual crime and subsequent investigation are lacking in interest. Whatever twists are in the film are random exposition out of left field. If all this was intended to be a satire of mystery stories, it was still quite uninteresting.
So, yeah, my only problem with the movie is lacking in story. -
mam13143 — 16 years ago(July 24, 2009 05:30 PM)
This movie is boring all in caps and bold letters!!! I get the humor, I get all the parody of famous inspectors, and I love most of the actors but as you said, the humor is not enough to carry a film where nothing happens. I cannot understand why it would get great reviews except that everyone liked Neil Simon at the time. A waste of nearly two hours.
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ParabolaofMystery — 16 years ago(December 01, 2009 01:13 PM)
'a film where nothing happens.'
Uh, something DID happen: I laughed a beep load of times. And I'm not well-versed in detective fiction, either. I'm aware of the characters being spoofed, and that was good enough for me to laugh my heiney off pretty much the whole time.
Then again, I was in disguise in disguise in disguise -
the_dude6789 — 15 years ago(October 19, 2010 12:17 PM)
It's one of those "silly humor" movies as I call it. Like your Airplanes, Naked Guns etc. I will admit that I never seen this movie until last week (I've never heard of it) but I noticed on a message board someone mentioning that if you liked Clue or Oscar w/ Sly Stallone (grossly underated film IMO) then you'll like this one.
I streamed the movie on my PS3 and seeing the opening credits I'm seeing Columbo, Dr. Strangelove and Obi-Wan are in it (haha sorry I type cast people) and w/ the opening scene w/ Jamesir Bensonmum trying to stamp the envelopes just set the tone for the film.
People nowadays need realism in everything they watch and can't/won't even try to enjoy an older film (I know people who refuse to watch something because it's in b&w)or a "silly" film. I enjoyed this film because of the absurdness of it all. Granted every now and again some of the sound fx came off as a bit cheesy and cartoony but it did fit the spectrum of the film. More or less like a live action Bugs Bunny cartoon.
It's fine that there are people who dislike this film and it's fine that there are people who do like this film. I enjoyed it and that's all that matters to me in the long run.
Now, I'm off to check out Noises Off (another film which I understand is like Oscar/Clue/Murder By Death but not quite) -
Chalumeau2 — 15 years ago(November 13, 2010 07:44 PM)
Agree with wrenage and mam13143. I had higher expectations for an ensemble movie like this, and was quickly let down. Where did the plot go? So much more could have happened, they were riffing on 5 well known detectives, and IMO did not use them to their full potential. While there were humorous bits, it all became tedious after a while. I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, and this did nothing for me.
Maybe I need to watch it again. The jury is still out on this one. -
historyguy6785 — 15 years ago(November 18, 2010 10:00 PM)
I thought the Movie was great!!! I had seen it years ago, and I bought it a few days ago and watched it againYou don't see much humor of this typeLately, all you get on TV or at the Movies is Vulgar or Total Crap Humor Ex: all the Jack Ass moviesHow can a person get Larry the Cable Guy, but not this movie? It's beyond me(sigh):)
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mrgogonyc — 15 years ago(November 26, 2010 12:20 PM)
MBD is a consistantly funny film and holds up so well after 35 years. You don't have to be a mystery fan to appreciate it, but it certainly helps.
It is silly, literate and has one of the best casts ever assembled for a film.
Plusit is sublimely politically incorrect. I mean "Poodle Hunting"? There is no hedging for fear of hurting feelings or rousing the ire of a subgroup. All are targets here.
It is a rude film with quite the high tone. It deserved every bit of its success.
"If it is not in the frame, it does not exist!" -
Mandrakegray — 15 years ago(December 13, 2010 11:56 AM)
Love this film. I own the DVD and have passed my fandom for the film onto my kids. I think mrgogonyc's comments above are spot on. Such a funny film, with some really great comedic performances. I may even enjoy the film more today, as I am much more familiar with the literary chracters spoofed in the film.
People keep mentioning Airplane! and the like, but I'll take this fine comedy over that 1980 classic (as well as the plethora of films that "Airplane!" begat).
Just a wonderful comedy. -
richimorton — 14 years ago(June 18, 2011 05:42 AM)
" there's a fire in your room " . . . what's not funny about that ? You do realise back in the old days they heated buildings with fireplaces , right ? Tell me you know that !
That which does not Kill me makes me Stranger
. . . -
warren_houghton — 14 years ago(June 18, 2011 02:16 PM)
I think so much of whether one can enjoy the style of humor in a particular movie involves one's personal makeup, likes and turnoffs, etc.
There are tons of "comedians" I wouldn't watch if you paid me, because the little I've seen of their style of comedy just turns me off. Martin Mull is so flat and deadpan just hearing his voice when he was in his heyday bored me silly. I hated Jim Carrey up until "Series of Unfortunate Events" which I think he's hilarious in.
Then there's the style of the movie itself. I found watching "Napoleon Dynamite" very uncomfortable the first time, but after getting past the discomfort of laughing at (lets face it) social retards, I'm OK with it now, though it's not one of my favorites.
In my mind, "Murder by Death's" humor is related to (in no particular order) "Princess Bride," "Airplane," Monty Python, Mel Brooks movies, "Clue," Pink Panther movies, Alfred Hitchcock's little intros to his shows and so much else that I grew up with or came to love later.
It also has to do with your mood and who you're with the first time you see a movie. That first impression can make or break that movie for you forever. I guarantee if I had been a young teen having a sleepover with my best friend, and had seen "Ace Ventura" at midnight in that giggly mood for the first time I'd LOVE Jim Carrey now. (I've actually never seen it, BTW.)
So if you like any of the stuff on my list, watch one of them, then watch "Murder by Death" again and see if your opinion changes. Though it might be too late now for you to like "Murder by Death."
To me it's just eminently quotable; jokes and lines from it pop into my head constantly in everyday situations, and there are plenty of other comedies (that I love, even) that just don't have that quality. -
blondeblue1 — 11 years ago(January 10, 2015 09:25 AM)
I am very familiar with the detectives spoofed in this movie. I also love off-the-wall humor like Monty Python, Kids in the Hall, Airplane, etc. That being said, I thought this movie was horrendously unfunny, lame, and just plain stupid. In fact, the only barely humorous part of the whole movie was at the very beginning, when the blind butler stamped the envelopes. The rest was downhill from there. I was appalled at what was supposed to pass for humor. If something like this was released today, people would throw garbage at the screen and then walk out.