Rating: 
Summary: You are cordially invited to dinner... and a murder!
Review: Murder By Death is one of those comedies I watch about once a year, as it always makes me laugh. Five famous detectives from the literary world are spoofed when they and their partners are invited to a mysterious mansion to witness a murder and a million dollars is offered to whomever can solve the case.Written by Neil Simon (The Odd Couple, California Suite), this film has tons of great lines and truly wonderful performances by all the actors. There's Dick and Dora Charleston played by David Niven and Maggie Smith, Inspector Milo Perrier (I'm not a Frenchie! I'm a Belgie!) played by James Coco and his secretary/chauffeur Marcel (James Cromwell), Miss Jessica Marbles (Elsa Manchester, probably most famous for her role as the Bride of Frankenstein) and her nurse, Inspector Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) and his number 3 adopted Japanese son Willie, and finally Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) and his secretary Tess Skeffington (Eileen Brennan). Rounding out the cast is Alec Guinness, playing the blind butler, Truman Capote as the eccentric host Lionel Twain, and Nancy Walker as the deaf and mute maid, Yetta. Peter Sellers has always been one of my favorite comedic actors, and he certainly shines here, but, in my opinion, Peter Falk edges him out here. His comic imitation of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade is dead on. All the actors perform wonderfully, but watch for Alec Guinness as Jamesir Bensonmum, Lionel Twain's blind Butler. Alec Guinness is best know for his serious roles, but he did a number of very funny comedies earlier in his career, including such films as The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit, and Kind Hearts and Coronets. As the clues present themselves, the speculation flies. The pacing of the film is kept brisk throughout, with snappy dialogue and excellent characterizations as Simon truly keeps the viewer engaged with a great script. The direction by Robert Moore is wonderful, keeping things from getting confusing and allowing all members of this ensemble cast to enjoy enough screen time for us to appreciate the characters. Credit must also be given to the creators of the sets, as they add so much to the overall feel of the movie. Not a lot in the way of extras, but the picture looks great and is available in both wide screen and full screen formats. I am going to end this review with one of my favorite lines from the movie, spoken by Peter Falk playing Sam Diamond "My hat's off to the man with the shiv in his back. Except for the fact that he's dead, he was no dope."
Rating:
Summary: "James-Sir Benson-Mum?"
Review: Need I say this is a comic masterpiece? Peter Sellers, James Coco, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Elsa Lancester, Peter Faulk, Eileen Brennan. A great cast in a parody movie to top all parody movies. The humor is fast and furious. You may want to watch it twice to catch all the jokes. My only disappointment, perhaps shared by anyone who's seen this in theaters, is the video version ending. In the theatrical release of this movie, there was a funny scene at the end, which is not in the video release. The scene is Sellers (as Wang) is leaving the house, and Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (I forget the actor's names) are just arriving, and they ask Wang directions to the house. When they leave, his adopted son asks, "Pop. Why didn't you tell them the whole thing's a sham?" (or something like that) then Wang laughs and says, "Let them figure it out for themselves." I think that's the way it goes. Since they cut that scene from the video, I don't remember it too well. Anyway, it's a riot. One of my favorite comedies of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Death by laughter
Review: My roommate and I happen to stumble across this side splitting movie just the other day. From the very moment the movie began the both of us were on the floor dying with laughter. From the uncanny way each person represented a famous mystery detective to the plain jist and out come of the plot, this is a great movie to just die over.
Rating: 
Summary: fun movie...expensive DVD
Review: If you grew up in the 80's and liked Clue, you'll also like Murder by Death. The performances are first-rate, the comedy is timed perfectly, and the story keeps you guessing till the final scene (literally). That said, this DVD is EXPENSIVE for it not to have any special features.
Rating:
Summary: "DINNER AND ATE"
Review: "Oh Dickie, what would one do with a naked, dead body...?" "Well, Dora, there ARE some people WHO ......"[whisper,whisper,whisper] "Oh Dickie, that's tacky! Really Tacky!" {with great apology to Neil Simon!} It's a tremendously "fun movie" - a confusing "whodunnit" with everybody [Sellers,Coco,Falk,Elsa Lanchester, and even Estelle Winwood, and then some]. also zingers like Eileen Brennan to Peter Falk "What are all those pictures of naked men doing in your desk?" Falk [Sam Diamond, pointblankfaced]: "Research!" A delightful work from the mid 1970ies, still available, but not quite surpassed [imitations have followed], and the stars out do each other with comedic timing - don't miss late Alec Guinness as the blind butler, or Nancy Walker as the mute maid. There's a moment when Miss Walker enters the dining room "Screaming", Maggie Smith calmly retorts : "I think she's trying to tell us something....." A full-screen DVd version would be nice, possibly there might be outtakes in a vault somewhere in town - - good family entertainment for any holiday season. The rent a few of the originals - "Charlie Chan", "Thin Man", etc.
Rating:
Summary: The World's Greatest Movie
Review: My family and I affectionatly refer to this movie as the 'the world's greatest movie,' and we've seen it so often that my sister and I, when we email each other or call each other, end each message with a quote from the movie. In order to truly appreciate the tremendous amount of laugh lines, you've got to watch it at least a dozen times. My sister and I have watched it at least 30 times if not a lot more, and just this past weekend while I was visiting her in Ithaca, she picked up on another laugh line that we'd never even noticed! The movie seems a bit dry at first, and would probably be a better fit as a stage play; a hilarious one at that. The movie is a spoof on Agatha Christi's "And Then There Were None," and has characters who are spoofs of other TV detectives; i.e., instead of Nick and Nora Charleston, it's Dick and Dora Charleston. This movie is not necessarily for everyone, but it starts to grow on you. The first time I saw it I really didn't think it was that funny, but the more I watched, the funnier it got. Buy this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Truman Capote is an editor's delight
Review: Truman Capote's little gems of insight about the proper rules of grammar make this movie one of my favorites. I watch Murder by Death for the subtle and not-so subtle puns and language twists.
Rating:
Summary: Funny bones..........
Review: If you have a sense of humor, you can't go wrong here. I have re-watched this movie several times, it's a classic to me!
Rating:
Summary: Truly a showcase of brilliant comedic acting
Review: I will never forget the day a college professor of mine bad-mouthed this movie. He hated anything with Neil Simon's name on it. Well, I must say he seriously lost credibilty with me at that very moment... This is the classic spoof on Hollywood's murder mysteries. "Clue" pales in comparison. Just look at the casts. The performances are outstanding (indeed these are final performances for several of the cast members). And yes, I love Neil Simon's over-the-top one-liners and sight gags, and this talented cast can pull them off. Truly this is a showcase of lively writing and brilliant comedic acting. OK -- now here's my grumpiness (which I did not allow to lower my rating of the overall film) -- what happened to the original cover art? Is Peter Falk really the star? It makes it look like a Columbo episode. Second, the gag ending is missing. Isn't this what DVD is all about? It should have at least been included as a "deleted scene." Ah well, perhaps there will be a special edition later on down the road -- get a commentary out of the remaining actors before they are all gone!
Rating: 
Summary: Everything but the kitchen sink
Review: This is one of those movies that has "everything", in which a collection of talented actors get together to jam in a mystery/comedy. It is a classic because of its genre and who is in it, but I did not think it was one of the great comedy classics. By way of comparison I recently watched Clockwise with John Cleese which I thought was much funnier, even if it only had one simple plot and one famous actor.
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