My Favorite Year

Rating:
Summary: "Our humble Chapeau"?
Review: A Priceless gem of a film recounting th early days of LIVE Television. A great cast including Bill Macy and Bologna and O,Toole really deliver the correct nuances of what it was like writing a weekly comedy series( Your Show of Shows).

A visit to Brooklyn is justly hysterical with Lanie Kazan and Lou Jacobi.

Thanks to Richard Benjamin who directed with skill and love>

Rating:
Summary: Beyond great - fantastic
Review: If you were lucky enough to see the original "Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar, et.al., this is a must see. If you didn't it still is. The movie is filled with that kind of physical comedy that has all but vanished. O'Toole is great - what else could he be? Is he spoofing himself or Errol Flynn? In any event you will have to see this several times to catch everything that is in it. The Brooklyn scene is worth the price of the tape alone. It's O'Toole's character who seldom knows reality dealing with reality and how that reality finally catches up with him. Then there's the confrontation between Bologna (the Sid Caesar character) and the mobster which is beyond belief in the producer's office. A little silly at times but overall it, along with "Stunt Man" show a side of O'Toole that must be seen to be believed. As for the rest of the cast, top notch as well.

By the way, Adolph Green who plays the producer was also the Professor in the live presentation of "Candide" in London with Leonard Bernstein in 1989.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Peter O'Toole is the most charismatic actor since Cary Grant, and MY FAVORITE YEAR is proof of it. The movie is clunky in spots, and when O'Toole is off screen, the movie often loses its spark. But O'Toole is on screen most of the time, and delivers the witty dialogue with zest, when the movie is fantastic. What other actor can do both comedy and drama (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA) so brilliantly? If you can think of anyone, I'd like to know. Incidentally, the elderly woman O'Toole dances with in the Stork Club is the same woman who played Old Rose in "Titanic." If you like intelligent comedies, this is your ticket.

Rating:
Summary: Sort of the early years of Mel Brooks
Review: If you've ever wondered what Mel Brooks was like in his early days, here's your answer! He doesn't appear in this picture; he has no writing credit; he didn't direct. It isn't a Mel Brooks biography. But it was made by Brooksfilm, and it sure is reminiscent of Sid Caesar's Show of Shows, where Brooks, Imogene Coca and Howard Morris were on the staff.

Briefly, the youngest writer on the show, Benjy, is thrilled to learn that his idol, a famous movie star, famed for his dalliances, will appear on the show. But when the actor arrives spectacularly drunk, Benjy is assigned to keep him sober. And while undertaking this herculean task, he's also got his career, family, and romance on his mind.

The writing is superb. While there are truly poignant moments, the film is a comedy - and the writers deliver, covering everything, from one liners to physical comedy.

Richard Benjamin's direction is superb - it may be his best work behind the camera.

Watch for Selma Diamond and Peter O'Toole's encounter. Any explanation would not do it justice.

Did you ever consider Joseph Bologna and Cameron Mitchell doing physical comedy? They were hilarious.

An excellent movie, one of my favories.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous!
Review: A perfect gift for telling someone that made your year 1999 your favorite year!

Rating:
Summary: TV's Golden Era
Review: It must have been very exciting to be involved in the TV scene during those early live 50's. People are just to "cool" for that now. Trash like Ally McBeal rules, I don't get it.

Anywho, this has a great cast, Peter O'Toole makes this movie with one of the best lines ever said on screen, "So is this Ma'am, but every once in a while I have to run a little water through it". For those who have never seen it, I will not tell you the reason he says that, but when you do see it you will have to rewind the film after several minutes, because you will miss the part that comes after because you will be on the floor!

Rating:
Summary: Great comedy!!
Review: This movie is amazing: It captures the flavor of the screwball comedies of golden Hollywood and is a genuinely funny film. Solid cast of pros, good sets and costumes and Peter O'Toole's outrageous (and Oscar nominated)performance make this an all-time favorite.

Rating:
Summary: AN ABSOLUTELY CHARMING AND FUNNY FILM!!
Review: This is one of the precious few comedies that gets funnier every time you watch it. Having a bit of knowledge of the inside world of TV production helps you appreciate it even more, but a lack of such knowledge should not prevent you from renting or BUYING this movie. An absolute joy. (Think I'll go watch it again right now. Bye...)

Rating:
Summary: Funny and sweet
Review: A wonderful movie that perfectly evokes a time and place. You will want to watch it again just to study the way Mark Linn Baker moves. The scenes in Brooklyn are hilarious and highly quotable. Lainie Kazan's supporting performance is as strong as her undergarment. I have recommended this movie to dozens of people, and have never found one who didn't like it.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Movie
Review: Actually, its almost impossible for me to pick what "my absolute favorite movie" is, but MY FAVORITE YEAR is definitely in the running for that title.

Peter O'Toole is fantastic in this. I honestly can't think of anyone else who would have been a better choice to play Alan Swann. O'Toole is perfectly cast in the role.

Everyone else in the cast is great, too. Mark Linn-Baker, Joseph Bologna, Lainie Kazan, etc. - they're all brilliant in this.

As for the story itself, I love it. MY FAVORITE YEAR is hilarious, but its also very touching in parts. Writing this review has made me anxious to watch the movie again (and I've probably already seen it at least two dozen times.)

A great thing about the dvd is director Richard Benjamin's commentary. A lot of dvd commentaries are boring to listen to, but Benjamin's is both very informative and very entertaining.

If you've never seen MY FAVORITE YEAR, I very highly recommend it to you. It's entertaining in every way that a movie should be.