Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Uneven But Often Very Entertaining
Review: THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE is a series of sketches that lampoon various venues of its day: industrial training films, television commercials, news shows, martial arts flicks, and talk shows--in fact, it is very much like the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. But while being on the big screen means the film can go a lot further than SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ever could on television, KFM doesn't have the same level of talent behind it. When you add in the dated quality of the humor, the result is very hit or miss indeed.The film originated when two brothers and their best friend--David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams--created a live show called "Kentucky Fried Theatre," and it proved such a hit that the three took the show to Los Angeles, where they managed to interest director John Landis and producer Robert Weiss in turning the whole thing into a low-budget film. Filmed with a no-name cast interspersed with cameos by Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, and Henry Gibson, KFM became the surprise hit of 1977. Some of it holds up extremely well, most notably the "movie trailers" for such imaginary no-class explotation films as CATHOLIC HIGHSCHOOL GIRLS IN TROUBLE and CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ, both of which will probably have film buffs screaming with laughter. And then there is a sketch which has a couple making love according to directions issued by a phonograph record, an instructional film on the uses of zinc oxide, a wicked take-off on "Point/Counterpoint," and a still darker take-off on television public service announcement--all of them a hoot and half. But when the film falters, it falls with a thud. Fans of Bruce Lee will probably appreciate the film's centerpiece more than I did, a twenty-minute take-off on martial arts films called "A Fistful of Yen;" I myself thought it would be more amusing if it were half as long. The "Feel-Around" selection was a clever idea that never actually took off, and really much the same can be said for most of the sketches. Some of it is a matter of datedness: what was topical in 1977 doesn't necessarily have a great deal of relevance for a contemporary viewer. Some of it is shock-humor that doesn't shock any more because it has been done so often and so much better. But even so, and while the film as a whole is perhaps best approached as a cultural artifact, it's still worth a look--particularly if you like such films as AIRPLANE, THE NAKED GUN, ANIMAL HOUSE, and THE BLUES BROTHERS, all of which were created by various members of the crew that originally created KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE. As for the DVD, the film quality is as good as it gets (and you should remember it wasn't great to begin with), and it offers the option of viewing the film in either widescreen or pan-and-scan--but the bonuses that seem so intriguing are actually less interesting than you might expect. The "behind the scenes" home movies and stills are actually rather dull, and as for the commentary... well, it sounds like the DVD package producers got the Zuckers, Abrahams, Landis, and Weiss together, gave them a couple of beers, and turned on the movie. They clearly haven't seen the film in quite a long time, spend a great deal of time trying to remember the names of the actors, and generally yuk it up. Now and then it is amusing and even informative, but on the whole it isn't greatly memorable one way or another. On the whole, I do recommend the DVD as a curiosity--and it would be a great party film--but this isn't one that you're likely to replay a great deal.
Rating: 
Summary: It'd Be Nice If Mine Worked
Review: My DVD copy of Kentucky Fried Movie would not play in any DVD player I tried it in. There must have been something wrong with the disk because I used a Toshiba DVD player, a Sylvania DVD player, and a PlayStation2...all with the same result. The disk suffered from indefinite pauses and constant skipping, making the film unwatchable. A few other buyers had similar problems, so beware! I have no explanation for this flaw. That's a shame, too, because I saw bits and pieces of the movie and it looks hilarious.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie - but I had problems with the DVD too.
Review: One of my favorite movies of all time. I bought the DVD a few years ago and it played fine, but all of a sudden it couldn't be read by any of my DVD players. It almost looks tarnished. ... I'm giving this 3 stars: 5 for the movie but 1 for the quality of the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Hands down! the best comedy i've ever seen.
Review: If you want a real parody film, see this one, forget all that "Scary Movie" stuff. A collection of skits that parody TV Commercials, Movie trailers, Advertising, news reports, TV Shows and one very funny kung-fu parody called " Fistful of Yen". A highly entertaining and amusing comedy guaranteed belly laughs all the way that's both sexy and hilarious, it's from the makers of "Airplane" and it's just as funny. So if your into comedy, this one is a must see.
Rating:
Summary: won't play in any player
Review: I LOVE this movie- but the dvd release is a scam. I have so far bought two copies, 1 new 1 used and neither will play in any dvd player- it says "no disc"- I have a Nakamichi system so I assure you it is not the player. We also tried an Apex dvd player. They wouldn't play in a psx2 either. Pass this ripoff up and buy it on vhs instead.
Rating:
Summary: I guess you had to be there.
Review: As sketch-driven films go, 'The Kentucky Fried Movie' is not in the same class as Bunuel's 'The Phantom Of Liberty', or even Monty Python efforts like 'And Now For Something Completely Different' or 'The Meaning Of Life'. Its subject matter - kung-fu and blaxploitation films, the emergence of porn into the mainstream, courtroom TV shows, the style of TV adverts, news or cinema trailers - are too rooted in the decade they were made, and for anyone who did not grow up with the pop culture of the 1970s, most of the jokes will be mystifying. But that's only a part of the problem. When the film lampooned a subject I did know a little about, such as Bruce Lee movies, they ignored what was truly interesting, such as the contrast between the tough masculinity of the genre and the balletic grace of Lee's art, and instead mocked the superficial infelicities of the genre, for instance the outre formulae of the plots and characters, the inept dubbing and relentless zooming, or the exagerrated fight sequences with their piercing feline squeaks. The result is the film's centrepiece, 30 plodding minutes of forced humour redeemed by one hysterically funny moment when the hero, having battered his Oddjob-heavy opponent with all his fighting prowess, turns around in slo-mo only to see him get up again - his undubbed expletive of disbelief had me in tears. It is for these brief moments, rather than any sustained comedy, that makes the film still worth watching; the only scene I laughed at throughout - where a newsreader watches from the TV screen a young couple making out, and beckoning his colleagues to look and cheer - was only funny, I think, because they reminded me of my friends. Of course, what dates the film, its being tied to its times, is also what makes it fascinating, as a kind of satiric time capsule of its era's pop ephemera - its not always positive reaction to the increasing representation of non-whites in the media is especially interesting. The 'scattershot' approach - throw every joke we can think of in and something's bound to be funny - is recognisably that of writers Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker; they would learn that, for this kind of style to work, it needs to be tied, no matter how loosely or ironically, to some kind of character and plot, in order to sustain comic momentum.
Rating:
Summary: I Saw The Original Pre-Release Theater Screening in 1977 !!!
Review: I think I was one of the few people to have the pleasure of seeing a pre-screening (prior to release) of this film back in 1977 at the old Fox Theater on Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica. It was a very rough cut and was a surprise showing before an Andy Warhol film "Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers." I hear that Landis, Abrahams, and the Zuckers were there too (to measure audience reaction.). But what was eventually released to the theaters was markedly different than what I saw at that screening. For example, the "Eyewitness News"-like segment went on for a LOT longer ( 5 to 7 minutes vs 2 or 3 minutes now). The pre-screening also contained quite a bit of unabashed male and female nudity while they did gymnastics on the couch. When the film finally came out, I would say about 95% of this nudity appeared to have been cut (with just a flash of male nudity). When shown on cable tv recently, all but a few gratuitous breast shots had been excised from this scene, all male nudity (including butt shots) were gone, and the scene was shortened quite a bit (the 5 minute build-up in the original cut is what made it even MORE hysterical -- as each watching newscaster reached their own orgasm as heavy breathing voyeurs). Now it is just a brief one-liner gag (the watchers being watched). I don't know if any of this original scene has been restored on the DVD version, but the running time leads me to believe that it has not. But overall, a classic and a must see - with or without the footage that was edited out prior to release in 1977.
Rating: 
Summary: Same Vein as Airplane, and that's definitely not a bad thing
Review: If Airplane! and Hot Shots! are your kind of film, then you will love their grandfather, Kentucky Fried Movie. Filled with short bits and funny commericals, it centers around a parody of Bruce Lee's 'Enter the Dragon', which has some very funny moments...some of the most memorable (and sexy skits) are Catholic High School Girls in Trouble, and the final skit of the film, where the newscasters on the television are watching the young couple at home...I fell off the couch watching that one...make sure you watch the entire credits, as they have a great line at the very end...If you love the Airplane movies, this first Zucker outing will have you in stitches.
Rating:
Summary: Me Likey!
Review: Loads of fun. Right up there with Rocky Horror Picture Show, but without the audience participation, flying toast & such...
Rating:
Summary: Uncensored Saturday Night Live
Review: Truly hilarious. Imagine SNL-like sketches without boundaries. Some humor requires the lack of censorship, and KFM delivers!
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