THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN’S
Most Americans only know Alastair Sim as the somber and nasty Scrooge in the 1952
version of A Christmas Carol. In Britain he was mostly known as a comedian, and this is
one of his funniest films. This is certifiable British low humor about a girls’
school whose students terrorize the community under the permissive eyes of a faculty that
interprets freedom to learn to mean anything is okay as long as the teachers are
not maimed.
Stars: Alastair Sim
M.P.A.A. Rating: Not Rated
Year Released: 1954
Type of Humor: Burlesque
Strong Language: None
Physical Violence: Slapstick
Sexual Content: None
Irreverence to social mores or religion: This is a send up of British public
schools (in the U.S. these would be called private schools).
Crudeness: None
Political Incorrectness: Not really
Anyone who might be offended: No one
Color/Black and White: Black and White
Released by: Republic Pictures
DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE
Maybe it’s my Italian heritage; whatever the reason I find this 1962 cynical and
twisted Italian movie to be very, very funny. The "hero" is a self-centered
scoundrel but as played by the great Marcello Mastroianni, with substantial
understatement, every bit of humor is squeezed out of this tale of a man who desires to
end his marriage in a country that does not permit divorce. Time has not dulled the
cleverness or sharp wit of this film. (Italian with English subtitles)
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni
M.P.A.A. Rating: Not rated
Year Released: 1962
Type of Humor: Satire
Strong Language: None
Physical Violence: Inferred including protagonist’s fantasizes of killing his
wife.
Sexual Content: Sexual passion but discreetly presented
Irreverence to social mores or religion: Church and marriage are mocked
Crudeness: None
Political Incorrectness: Women are portrayed as property in a patriarchal society
Anyone who might be offended: Those who are uncomfortable with unpleasant issues
presented with humor
Color/Black and White: Black and White
Released by: HTV, Inc.
THE FAVOR, THE WATCH, AND THE VERY BIG FISH
This is a really, really, strange film, believe me, and concerns some peculiar people whose lives
cross by chance. The Favor, et al. has a French feel and flavor, although the
cast is mostly English and American. The story is very continental and irreverent, poking
fun at pomposity and the absurdity of life. The peculiar characters find themselves in
even more peculiar situations including a homeless ex-pianist who becomes a photo model
for Jesus and is so successful in that role he is mobbed on the street.
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Jeff Goldblum, Natasha Richardson, Michel Blanc
M.P.A.A. Rating: R
Year Released: 1992
Type of Humor: Satire
Strong Language: Very little if any.
Physical Violence: Slapstick
Sexual Content: Mostly heard, not seen including a pornographic movie
Irreverence to social mores or religion: Some of the jokes are at the expense of
organized religion.
Crudeness: Some crude moments
Political Incorrectness: No one is above being made fun of.
Anyone who might be offended: This a movie that can offend some because of its
anti-cleric tone, its use of religious masterpieces like de Vinci’s Last Supper for
comical purposes, and its laugh at humanity in general.
Color/Black and White: Color
Released by: Vidmark Entertainment
THE IN-LAWS
This is a thriller in the tradition of Mad Magazine’s Spy Versus Spy. A mild
mannered dentist becomes the reluctant partner to his son’s future father in law, a
strange man who reveals that he is a spy for the CIA, a disclosure that is very hard to
believe. A more probably conclusion is that he is a psychotic person who has stopped
taking his medication. This is one of those films that, as you watch it, you constantly
think it cannot get any weirder and does!
Stars: Peter Falk, Alan Arkin
M.P.A.A. Rating: PG
Year Released: 1979
Type of Humor: Screwball
Strong Language: Mild
Physical Violence: Slapstick
Sexual Content: No
Irreverence to social mores or religion: No
Crudeness: Mildly
Political Incorrectness: Not really unless you take the movie literally.
Anyone who might be offended: Many jokes are at the expense of Latin American
governments and the CIA.
Color/Black and White: Color
Released by: Warner Home Video
PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE
This has been rated the worst movie ever made and, considering the competition, that is
quite an awesome distinction. Whereas most bad movies are also very boring,
Plan Nine
has the unique virtue of being hilarious because it is bad in a way that can be described
as this- has-got-to-be-a-joke. Plan Nine was not meant as a joke but to be the
masterpiece of "One Shot Eddie" whose enthusiasm for film making was
inversely
proportioned to his skill and talent. (See my review of the film ED WOOD)
Stars: Tor Johnson (no relation), Vampira (no relation)
M.P.A.A. Rating: Not rated
Year Released: 1959
Type of Humor: Unintentional
Strong Language: None
Physical Violence: Vampires, ghouls of the "Trick Or Treat" variety
Sexual Content: None
Irreverence to social mores or religion: Too preposterous to be taken seriously
Crudeness: Only the production values (such as pie tins on visible strings used for
flying saucers
Political Incorrectness: No
Anyone who might be offended: Very unlikely
Color/Black and White: Cheap black and white
Released by: Rhino Home Video
THE RITZ
A story of mistaken sexual identity in a gay bathhouse. Gaetano Procio’s
brother-in-law, a mobster, is out to kill him. Procio tells a cab driver to take him to
the least likely place anyone would find him, and the driver takes him to a Turkish bath,
The Ritz.. Without knowing what he’s walked into, Procio quickly discovers that The
Ritz is not your regular Turkish bath. Unbeknownst to him, the cab driver works for
Procio’s mobster brother-in-law who brings him to this location so that he can be set
up. Things don’t work out quite the way anyone plans and the various strange
characters come together to create a nuclear fusion of laughs.
Stars: Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, F. Murray Abraham
M.P.A.A. Rating: R
Year Released: 1976
Type of Humor: Screwball
Strong Language: Yes
Physical Violence: Slapstick
Sexual Content: The story mostly takes place in a gay bathhouse
Irreverence to social mores or religion: A permissiveness characterizes the patrons
of The Ritz
Crudeness: Some
Political Incorrectness: The film was made before the AIDS epidemic and makes light
of the goings on in a very permissive gay bathhouse.
Anyone who might be offended: Those who are offended by homosexuality
Color/Black and White: Color
Released by: Warner Home Video
YOUNG DOCTORS IN LOVE
A film from the Reagan era which has aged a bit, but is still amusing for those who
enjoy stupid humor. A send off of General Hospital, ER, and other hospital dramas. Every
medical movie cliché has been turned inside out with varying results from "over the
top" to DOA.
Stars: Sean Young, Michael McKean, Hector Elizondo, Harry Dean Stanton
M.P.A.A. Rating: R
Year Released: 1982
Type of Humor: Burlesque
Strong Language: Strong at moments
Physical Violence: Slapstick
Sexual Content: Some nudity; considerable sexual humor
Irreverence to social mores or religion: A laugh at the expense of those in the
health care profession
Crudeness: Sophomoric, bedpan variety
Political Incorrectness: Mild
Anyone who might be offended: This is not a movie for someone who is seriously ill
or anticipating surgery
Color/Black and White: Uninspired color
Released by: Anchor Bay Entertainment, Inc.
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