Rating: 
Summary: They don't make 'em like that anymore...
Review: Which is probably just as well, to tell you the truth. I don't mind slaptick in small doses ('20s one- or two-reelers, a 7-minute Looney Tunes short), but at nearly three hours this is simply too much. An enormous number of comics appear here, most of them in brief cameos; some are legends (Durante, Berle, Caesar, Merman, Lewis, Benny, Keaton), some are semi-legends (Winters, Hackett, Silvers, Knotts, Reiner) and others aren't likely to connect with anyone who wasn't around in 1963 (Stan Freberg? Joe E. Brown? Jesse White?). Spencer Tracy, one of favorite actors, seems embarrassingly out of place here, a situation exacerbated by the fact that he was in extremely poor health during production.The comedy itself wants to work on two levels, and comes up a little short both ways. The slapstick tends to be a little overblown and forced in the many car chase scenes and "big" gags (Winters demolishing the service station, the fireworks show inside the hardware store basement). And the larger satirical theme, when it isn't lost amid the slapstick, is too obvious and heavy-handed to really be effective. Another problem is that much of the humor is, shall we say, politically incorrect. Are gags based on misogyny and "Amos 'n' Andy"-type racial caricatures (presented, seemingly, without a trace of irony) really going to make anybody laugh in 2001? This film is worth seeing once for what humor still remains, and for a rare chance to glimpse some of the great comedic talents of an era that grows more distant each year. And if you miss the old days of larger-than-life Hollywood spectacle, you'll find plenty of THAT here, as well. Just don't expect anything brilliant or sidesplittingly funny. And don't believe the hype about this being the "Greatest Comedy Ever Made".
Rating: 
Summary: This movie is not so much funny as it is powerful and scary
Review: Although there are some very funny moments in this movie, much of the comedy is a bit forced, with almost everybody in the unquestionably brilliant cast trying too hard to be funny. But some of it is very funny indeed, and in a strange way, this movie transcends the need to be funny in order to work. It is really an epic about greed. It's very intense, with some sequences that are downright terrifying, and surprisingly powerful. It goes on too long, but all of that just adds to the epic quality. The flaws are almost part of this movie's greatness. Stanley Kramer could never allowe himself to just make a funny movie, he had to strain to make something that would also be meaningul -- an epic about greed -- and the strain sure shows here. But in spite of that, or perhaps because of that, because Kramer is as excessive in his pursuit of his vision as his characters are in pursuit of theirs, this movie in the end achieves exactly what Kramer was striving for: A sometimes funny, sometime scary, often excessive, but mostly compelling and surprisingly moving vision of obsession, greed and misery. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: It was good to see so many old/funny friends again but.....
Review: The movie had some great moments but they were far too few to support a 3-hour movie. It seemed to me that anything that had the slightest chance to be funny was just beaten to death until it went from funny to not-funny-any-more to pathetic. (There were a few exceptions. The director didn't try to improve on Jack Benny's perfectly timed, "WELL...") The movie came out when I was 17 years old. I took my girlfriend to see it. It is 2:00 in the morning now, I just finished watching the movie, and I feel like securing a private detective to find this girl I haven't seen in 35 years so I can apologize to her for taking her. Oh, never mind. I just remembered why I have better memories of the movie than it deserved: we saw it at a drive-in. What was three hours of almost boredom tonight had been 3 hours of bliss in 1964. (I'll give my girl 4 stars but leave the movie at 2 stars.)
Rating:
Summary: WELL WORTH WATCHING
Review: Yet again Maltin missed it again! If you have any sense of humor you will love this movie. Keep an eye on Sylvester and Mr. Pike, and you will have a great time. Also keep an eye on Phil Silvers.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Without Being Funny
Review: I liked this movie when I first saw it in Cinerama, at its original release. At that time, all of the stars WERE stars, so it had a currency it lacks today. I still like the film, but not for the expected reasons. The film is meant to be a comic extravaganza, but I've never laughed at any of the big set pieces--Jonathan Winters wrecking the gas station (then again, Winters was NEVER funny in movie roles; his brilliance needed live improvisation), Sid Caesar trying to escape from the hardware store, all of Dick Shawn's schtick (Shawn was a weird comedian I never found amusing). Those routines were so forced, so overdone, so lacking in timing and finesse that they were just silly and boring. What I DO like about the film is its wicked satire on American mores. It's really a black comedy, unrelenting in its portrayal of greed as our motivating force. The scene where Berle, Caesar, Hackett, and the others argue about shares, Terry-Thomas' tirade against the American obsession with breasts, the marvelous shot of greed-distorted faces circling the screen as they peer down at the buried treasure--all of these are cunning and sharply-observed comic moments. And amid all of the overwrought chaos, Spencer Tracy's portrait of the weary, overlooked police commissioner is a comic gem. He accomplishes with a jaundiced eye, a grim set of the mouth, and slumped shoulders what none of the comic stars can do with all their flailing about. Ultimately, the best scene is the last, where all of the principals are laid up in a hospital ward, in casts from head to toe. Suffering physical and emotional agonies, their lives trashed, they burst into helpless laughter when Ethel Merman's harridan character slips on a banana peel. At the very last, someone else's pain lifts their battered spirits. It's a savage and funny comment on who we are. So I recommend Mad etc. World, but advise you to fast forward through the dreary set pieces while you relish the social comedy. Also, for younger viewers (under 50), it's worth seeing Berle, Caesar, and other legends in their prime.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie, so-so video tape
Review: I've always enjoyed this movie over and over again. It's the funniest chase movie since the Keystone Cops shorts. Unfortunately, the video tape, even though it's widescreen, is still pan-and-scan. The movie was orginally shown in Cinerama theaters before it was cut down for the road-show engagements. In the tape, characters at both ends of the screen get cut out if the action is in the middle. So why not a DVD version??? DVD would allow the clarity and the ability to show the "real" full widescreen version. DVD PLEASE!
Rating:
Summary: It's a funny, funny, funny, funny movie
Review: I have marvled at the genius of "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world" for over three decades. With a rash of remakes overflowing the movie studeos.... I wonder if a remake of this movie could have the same effect? Anyone who was anyone in 1963 was in this movie, who could they get to fill there shoes now? every time I see IAMMMMW, it's like visiting old friends.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: It is my favorite movie ever made. Tracy is a great actor and with many camios, it's the best. Watch it!
Rating:
Summary: It's a boring, boring, boring, boring movie
Review: Having heard so much about this movie I was keen to watch it. It proved to be rather a disappointing experience. Whilst it might have been great for the 60s it falls short off what you might expect in the year 2000. I prefer witty comedy as opposed to slapstick and found the most disappointing part was the script. I was waiting for a funny line. I waited and waited and waited. I also found a lot of the action sequences repeated over and over again. Many weren't funny the first time and were really testing my endurance on the third time round. I suppose the movie was well summed up in the title. Make it long and repetative and hope people find it funny. Well I for one didn't.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best comedies of the world
Review: It's really one the best comedies already done. It has all the components of a typical and perfect comedy. I'd like to post a protest: what a hell MGM doesn't release this comedy in DVD format ? I can't understand them !!! MGM, please, do that.
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