ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
So yeah, I finally saw Young Frankenstein because it was on HBO.
And, to be dead honest, I personally didn't find it as wildly hilarious as everyone made it sound.
Now, that's not to say the film is unfunny. It has quite a few really funny bits, be it the skit with the dead man's hand, Gene Hackman's blind priest, Cloris Leachman's crazed German lady, and several lines of dialogue. But to me, personally, I didn't find it a non-stop explosion of laughter like how I found Zoolander or Raising Arizona or It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or the films of the Marx Brothers. To me, it was amusing, but with lots and lots of filler.
The direction is actually quite good, with Mel Brooks suitably aping the over-the-top gothic horror look of the Hammer Horror films, and the cinematography is absolutely astounding. The acting is also fine throughout, with everybody acing their parts and playing them perfectly. They have good chemistry together, and they're all great actors.
To me, what seems to make the humor fall flat is the unsurprising understated nature of the comedy in this film. Most of the jokes are delivered in a deadpan or low-key manner. When the film drops this pretension, and goes clear into wild absurdism, it suddenly becomes very funny, such as pretty much EVERYTHING Cloris Leachman does in the movie, or Gene Hackman's blind priest cameo. However, the rest of the film is very reserved, with the jokes being delivered, and then awkward gaps of silence, as if a 1950s style laugh track was meant to go there, leaving me personally feeling like I missed the punchline. But, nope, apparently the punchline was already said, and I just missed the joke.
I don't know if it's hype backlash, or just my personal preference in comedy, but I didn't find this film as funny as it was made out to be. It's certainly not a BAD film, or horribly crass or unfunny, but to me, it was only amusing, and in the end, surprisingly boring.
Maybe I just need to see it again, who knows?
I'm going to give it a 3 out of 5.
And, to be dead honest, I personally didn't find it as wildly hilarious as everyone made it sound.
Now, that's not to say the film is unfunny. It has quite a few really funny bits, be it the skit with the dead man's hand, Gene Hackman's blind priest, Cloris Leachman's crazed German lady, and several lines of dialogue. But to me, personally, I didn't find it a non-stop explosion of laughter like how I found Zoolander or Raising Arizona or It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or the films of the Marx Brothers. To me, it was amusing, but with lots and lots of filler.
The direction is actually quite good, with Mel Brooks suitably aping the over-the-top gothic horror look of the Hammer Horror films, and the cinematography is absolutely astounding. The acting is also fine throughout, with everybody acing their parts and playing them perfectly. They have good chemistry together, and they're all great actors.
To me, what seems to make the humor fall flat is the unsurprising understated nature of the comedy in this film. Most of the jokes are delivered in a deadpan or low-key manner. When the film drops this pretension, and goes clear into wild absurdism, it suddenly becomes very funny, such as pretty much EVERYTHING Cloris Leachman does in the movie, or Gene Hackman's blind priest cameo. However, the rest of the film is very reserved, with the jokes being delivered, and then awkward gaps of silence, as if a 1950s style laugh track was meant to go there, leaving me personally feeling like I missed the punchline. But, nope, apparently the punchline was already said, and I just missed the joke.
I don't know if it's hype backlash, or just my personal preference in comedy, but I didn't find this film as funny as it was made out to be. It's certainly not a BAD film, or horribly crass or unfunny, but to me, it was only amusing, and in the end, surprisingly boring.
Maybe I just need to see it again, who knows?
I'm going to give it a 3 out of 5.
Suggested Collections
Review Written February 7th 2015
© 2015 - 2024 Bronyman1995
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In