I seen it for the first time today and absolutely loved it. I respect everyone's opinion, and I can accept certain jokes don't work for some. But I found the humor clever, subtle at times but consistently hilarious. The stereotypes and over the top performances were exactly what the film needed; it provided a nice contrast to the subtleties of the jokes.
Now, this can only mean one thingand I don't know what it is.

I agree. I'm watching this right now and just do not find much humor in it. If there is some, it is repeated over and over to the point that it's not funny anymore. Oh well, I'll keep watching it to the end.

Hopefully in the last nine years you've changed your mind. I think really funny. I like most of Neil Simon's writing anyway

I think it's crazy, funny and very quotable. It's crazy-funny!
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer Sim" - Frank Grimes

One of my all time favorites!" Where were you Wang we was worried."

It didn't age well. I remember enjoying it in the theater back in the seventies but watching it recently did nothing but bore me. It just isn't that funny anymore and doesn't stand up to the test of time.

This is a well constructed, enjoyable and pretty clever film but it just wasn't as funny as I expected. And yes, I got all the jokes.
Clue (1985) is probably less clever than this one, but it's still funnier to me.
Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

not sure about the bed on Fire joke but as a rule when going into spoofs/parodies is having seen enjoyed the genre being spoofed
If you've Not seen at least one adaptation of one of the people mocked by the central characters (Charlie Chan/Mr Moto, The Thin Man, Poirot, Marple, Spade/Marlowe) I don't think you'll enjoy it on the same level as you will with a point reference
without seeing the Moto/Chan movies Wang can easily be read as mocking Asians, but with that Point of reference the joke clearly shifts to that of using 'yellow face' and /or the forced meme of all Asians use broken English

As was once said in a TV show that I used to watch a lot: "Humor is so subjective."
You didn't find the movie funny; that's fair.
That said, I have a comment or two about some of your explanation.
same with the Wang jokes, maybe it was slightly funny the first time Twain tells Wang to use his prepositions, but this was rehashed over and over. Same with Wang's proverbs, it was the same joke over and over.
and I know it's a spoof, but a lot of these jokes about certain stereotypes, which may have been funny to 70s audiences, certainly have not aged well and are not funny today.
I've never noticed any particular stereotypes about blind butlers or deaf mute cooks.
When it comes to the rest of the characters, they weren't spoofing / doing jokes about stereotypes. They were spoofing a specific set of characters and almost all of their jokes were specifically about those characters, though maybe more about their movie incarnations than staying strictly true to the books. They weren't doing jokes about Asian / Chinese stereotypes, they were doing jokes about Charlie Chan movies (and back in the 1960s and 70s those were on local TV a lot in late show and weekend daytime slots; everybody back then could identify with Twain every time he yelled something like "'is the'! 'is the'!" at Wang), right down to the Anglo lead actor with an Asian actor playing the son; the proverb thing was definitely a Charlie Chan trait, not an all-Chinese-people-speak-in-proverbs stereotype. They were also spoofing Sam Spade (though they also did throw in a couple references to other similar Humphrey Bogart roles), Nick & Nora Charles (from the Thin Man series), Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot.

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I've seen the title a billion times but just watched it for the first time and immediately connected the dots to "Clue" (partly because of Brennan); however, that film was more accessible to mainstream moviegoers. This film doesn't remind me of "Airplane" at all, it's more like "Elvira's Haunted Hills," which spoofed the Roger Corman/Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe movies. If you're not familiar with the films being spoofed then you're not really in on the jokes.

I saw it on TV last week and I have to admit I was pretty bored until the "murder" took place. Also, I didn't find the humour between a blind butler and a deaf/dumb maid funny at all. Partly because I have friends with such disabilities, but also, why hire such a combination?
Laura Ess

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.

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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.

" 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
. . .

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.

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!"

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):)

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.

I agree completely. A very lame comedy that would never impress anyone who didn't see it in the 70's.

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)

'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

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.