Rating: 
Summary: Classic, classic, classic, movie
Review: I first saw this film with my parents when I was a kid. It was part of a double feature. (The Wheeler Dealer- a James Garner film -and also funny) Remember those? We started laughing before the end of the opening credits, and never stopped till after we got out of the theater - completely forgot the other film. For those few oversophisticated, humorless critics - all right. It's not Lawrence of Arabia. But if Lawrence of Arabia were a comedy....this would be it. Total, joyful, unbridled, wild and unrestrained insanity. And forget the PC ending of the latest flic (Rat Race). This bunch is certifiably loonie to the end. This one is meant for the big screen, and I'd pay twice the DVD price to see it in the theater again. I've seen the restored version, and the extended version. The restored version (original theater release) is better. I've seen it many times, introduced it to my kids (who love it), and whenever I hear the wonderful musical score, it lifts my spirits and makes me laugh all over again.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many stars
Review: In my opinion, "Mad, Mad, Mad World" is not a great movie, but the presence of so many talented comedians makes it worth watching at least once. On the other hand, having so many stars is also a liability for this picture. There are too many. It's hard to follow the storyline because the film keeps switching around to different characters and their antics. Much of the dialogue is also silly and corny. Still, "Mad, Mad, Mad World" is a cheerful, lighthearted movie that might perk you up a little bit on a gloomy day.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: What happens when you combine an unbelievable plot with a cast of the funniest comedians of all time? It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Phil Silvers, as a fast talking con artist, is matched perfectly with Don Knotts, an insecure milquetoast. Memorable scenes include a chase through a condemned building, Sid Ceasar trapped in the basement of a hardware store, Peter Falk critiquing the police department, and Jerry Lewis running over Spencer Tracy's hat.
Rating:
Summary: ditto to all five stars
Review: Excellent comedy can't wait for the DVD. I wish I could give 10 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Mad genius.
Review: Arguably cinema's only intelligent farce. (Chaplin's work was too sentimental to quite qualify as farce.) To find its equal, one must turn to literature, probably: Rabelais and Cervantes from the Renaissance; Laurence Sterne from the Enlightenment; Joseph Heller from the modern era. You get the idea. *Mad World* probably should have failed, and the fact that it not only didn't fail but still stands as one of the greatest movie comedies ever made is some kind of lucky accident on par with winning a state lottery. The director, first of all, was a mismatch with the material: Stanley Kramer, director of all those turgid social dramas of the 50's and 60's, director of nary a comedy. Second, the running time: the very idea of a 3-hour comedy sounds very unfunny (imagine *Animal House* at 3 hours!). Third, the use of Cinerama to present something that has its roots in Victorian stage vaudeville could fairly be construed as pretentious. Amazingly, Kramer got away with it. *Mad World* is a clinic for film students on how to frame wide-angle set-ups (the aerial shots at the beginning, the desert expanses, the toothpick of a fire-ladder waving precariously across the colossal composition, the giant "W", on and on). The Cinerama cameras even manage to invest the comical bickerings and pratfalls with a vast contempt -- the small-minded characters look puny indeed against all that on-location backdrop. The movie starts off rather cold, and refuses to get sentimental later. But, contra Maltin, it never isn't funny: Jonathan Winters tearing down a gas station with his bare hands is a classic; Dick Shawn's characterization of an Oedipally-motivated surfer has to be seen to be believed. *Mad World* is super-brilliant. Highest rating.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad Film
Review: Sorry, but bigger is certainly not better when it comes to overdone, overlong comedies such as "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." It's terribly unfunny and wastes a tremendous amount of talent. You're better off watching the classic comedies of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin.
Rating:
Summary: Mad about Comedy? Watch This!
Review: In the days of epic films, director Stanley Kramer wanted to bring comedy to the list. He employs every comedic actor in Hollywood at the time of the shooting (there are many, many cameos throughout the film: Jack Benny, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Carl Reiner, Zasu Pitts, Paul Ford, Andy Devine, Joe E. Brown, Ben Blue, Jim Backus, Sterling Holloway, Edward Everett Horton, etc. My personal favorite is the Three Stooges as firemen, waiting for the plane to crash...that one brought me to the floor). The plot has been told so many times that it's now an American icon, like James Bond. It's been parodied by the Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and Mad Magazine. "Just look for the big 'W'. Then you'll find all the money in world...just waitin for somebody to come along, and dig it up." So Jimmy Durante tells the group who finds him before he 'kicks the bucket'. The rest of the movie is a physical farce to see who gets to the money first (not unlike the plot of a film that just opened recently!). Many stand outs include: Dick Shawn, Jonathan Winters, Terry-Thomas, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, and Milton Berle were all brilliant comedians in their day...and this is some of their best work on film. Very long, but worth the journey. Released in 1963 and originally shot in Ultrapanavision for Cinerama. Look for the restored 3 hrs and 8 min. Roadshow version with all the restored footage. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards. And remember, just look for the big "W"...you can't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Comedy by Masters of Comedy
Review: When I was a kid, I think I caught this movie in a second go-round at a local theater, and have loved it ever since. It has all the great classic comedic stars, in truly great side splitting comic skits, all strung together in one movie like some cinematic Rube Goldberg machine....who cares if it is long! This movie is a true comic gem. Some of the current creators of adolescent and juvenile off-color brainless “comedy” movies should watch this movie and learn from it. I couldn’t even choose a favorite bit, they are ALL good.....the bit with Micky Rooney and Buddy Hackett desparately trying to fly an airplane with a drunk unconscious pilot(Jim Backus); the bit with Sid Caesar and Edie Adams accidently setting off fireworks in the basement of the hardware store; Ethyl Merman as a nagging mother-in-law with the dead-beat surfer son who can do no wrong; Phil Silvers conniving; Terry Thomas rattling on and on in his unruffled British manner, while everything falls apart (great humor that predates Monty Python).... If comedy is the best medicine, then this is the one comic movie worth buying to cure anything.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarity Grand Champion
Review: Any discussion of the funniest movie ever made begins-and ends-with this movie. It is as laugh out loud hilarious on the tenth viewing as it was the first time.
Rating:
Summary: ITS A GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT MOVIE
Review: This is one of the last great all star movies of its kind, (if you include Oceans 11, Great Race, Longest Day, and the like, but a great comedy from an unexpected source - Stanley Kramer. Jonathan Winters alone is worth the price of admission, and the casting is excellent. Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney in the flying sequence is spectacular. Milton Berle, Phil Silvers, Sid Caesar, and many many more (even Peter Falk!) make this movie a must see rate "G" movie for the whole family Ethel Merman and Spencer Tracy play pivotal roles in this non-stop comedy, and its well worth your time and money to see it in its UNCUT ORIGINA version. TV does not do it justice. You must see it as it was made to be seen Many "guess spots" are here,... Don Knotts... Jerry Lewis.... Jimmy Durante.. Terry Thomas (an excellent bit with Jonathan Winters)...and many many more. Dick Shawn... it keeps on going.... I rank it 5 stars with a bullet. Its clean, wholesome fun and is not insulting. Its just great thought out comedy starring the masters of the genre. SEE IT!
|
