Wonder Man

Rating:
Summary: One of the 7 wonders of comedy
Review: "Wonder Man" may not have the most credible of storylines of Danny Kaye's work, but it has some of the finest moments of pure anarchic ad-libbing and timing you will ever get to see after the Marx brothers.
The story--of diametrically opposite twins, one a shy suburban academic and the other a wacky showman with mafia links--is curious and the plot is strained. But that does not restrict the brilliant Danny Kaye. In a memorable scene after the twin in showbusiness is killed, his ghost takes over the body of the twin in central park. And Danny Kaye gets to do his celebrated Russian opera singer routine, which is itself worth the price of the DVD or VHS. The ending, with Danny Kaye doing Opera in pig-Italian, is to be seen to be believed.
This movie is right up there with "Duck Soup", "A night at the Opera" and other such classics of comedy

Rating:
Summary: One of the 7 wonders of comedy
Review: "Wonder Man" may not have the most credible of storylines of Danny Kaye's work, but it has some of the finest moments of pure anarchic ad-libbing and timing you will ever get to see after the Marx brothers.
The story--of diametrically opposite twins, one a shy suburban academic and the other a wacky showman with mafia links--is curious and the plot is strained. But that does not restrict the brilliant Danny Kaye. In a memorable scene after the twin in showbusiness is killed, his ghost takes over the body of the twin in central park. And Danny Kaye gets to do his celebrated Russian opera singer routine, which is itself worth the price of the DVD or VHS. The ending, with Danny Kaye doing Opera in pig-Italian, is to be seen to be believed.
This movie is right up there with "Duck Soup", "A night at the Opera" and other such classics of comedy

Rating:
Summary: What an amazing film!
Review: AMC is one of my favorite television stations. One day I was home sick and decided to watch it. "Wonder Man", came on and I was in love! The originallity of its plot is so awesome!

Rating:
Summary: A Perennial Favorite
Review: As a kid, viewing films like WONDER MAN and THE COURT JESTER made me fall in love with Danny Kaye's talent. That fondness stays with me into adulthood. Unforgettable laughs, lines and performances make WONDER MAN a classic. It's not elaborate, nor is it monumental, but it's good, clean fun that was highly original for its time and movie and TV writers and producers have been stealing Kaye's innovations ever since. As a kid from Flatbush, my favorite line among many: Danny: "I don't want to go to Brooklyn! You can't make me!" Bus Driver: "None of us wants to, pal--but we all gotta go sometime."

Rating:
Summary: Buster and Danny
Review: BUSTER! This movie is one of the funniest I've ever seen. Danny Kaye is hilarious playing 2 roles: a whimpy librarian and his ghost twin brother- Buster! The scenes in Prospect Park (aka Potato salad),the deli, and some of the on-stage routines are classics.

Rating:
Summary: One of Danny Kaye's Worst
Review: Danny Kaye fans will enjoy this movie, as will viewers who are just interested in a mild diversion.

But among the Danny Kaye films available on video, "Wonder Man" is by far the worst. Over and over again, without reprieve for the entire 95-minute running time, it flogs the same extremely tired joke - talking to a ghost while other people nearby think you're crazy and/or talking to them. ("Blithe Spirit" did this kind of scene much better, and didn't over-use the device.)

"Wonder Man" suffers from other shortcomings. Too many times, Danny Kaye self-indulgently parades his low-brow vaudeville act, apparently thinking that his facial contortions and funny accents should be enough to reduce an audience to hysterical laughter. And he does this from virtually the first scene to the last. The director should have imposed more discipline.

The plot development was poor and incoherent. Granted, plot is never the cornerstone of a light comedy, but one expects some competence in story-telling. This was missing. "Wonder Man" rushes into its beginning and rushes into its end, and in between the story languishes for minutes at a time with no progress, then suddenly lurches forward to try to make up for lost time. One gets the impression that there were major differences of artistic opinion among the director, the screenwriter, and the star, and that these differences were settled on each occasion with a dartboard.

Danny Kaye was a wonderful comic actor, not because he could contort his face, but because he could play an Everyman, faced with unusual circumstances, who could rise to the occasion with a certain self-deprecation and pathos that most viewers can empathize with. Viewers who have not yet discovered Danny Kaye should check out "The Court Jester" or "The Inspector General" which, unlike "Wonder Man", show him off at his best.

Rating:
Summary: Danny Kaye is Superb!
Review: Danny Kaye gives an outstanding performance in this movie. Of course he is always outstanding. This movie is funny and very fun to watch over and over again. I recommend it to anyone who is a Kaye fan, or to anyone with young children as they too find it wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: danny kay is amazing:)
Review: i absolutly loved this movie one of my favorites danny kay was get playing both roles i would tell anybody to rent or buy this movie

Rating:
Summary: I agree
Review: I am shocked to see that Amazon is offering this DVD at the ridiculous price of $259.00. Did any of the previous reviewers pay that amount for this. If you know of any where I can purchase this at a MUCH LOWER price. Please Email me at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: DOES THIS THING REALLY COST $ 259.00
Review: I am shocked to see that Amazon is offering this DVD at the ridiculous price of $259.00. Did any of the previous reviewers pay that amount for this. If you know of any where I can purchase this at a MUCH LOWER price. Please Email me at [e-mail]