I was a senior in college when this movie was released. I did not see it at the time and then just sort of avoided it on videotape and then DVD...for no particularly good reason. I loved "Blazing Saddles" and I now own a copy, but I could never seem to get around to watching YF. Finally, my younger brother's fanaticism about the movie forced me to rent it and watch it, some 30 years after it was released.
Seldom have I been so disappointed in a movie. The trivia for this movie states that Mel Brooks made up scenes after the main filming was completed because everyone had so much fun that they didn't want to stop. I believe it. The marks of self-indulgence are all over this movie, from the "operatic" screams of passion to the deadpan looks every performer casts to the audience. "Breaking the fourth wall" has never before been done so often with so little positive results. This movie redefines "telegraphing the punchline."
Sorry...not a chuckle, not a laugh, not a giggle, not even a smile. This movie just doesn't make the mark. The humor is trite, clichéd, and unoriginal. (And don't bother telling me that this film is 30 years old and was the basis for the humorous clichés we now see in films. Every bit of what passes for humor in this movie can be traced to films that went before it.) * out of *****
Seldom have I been so disappointed in a movie. The trivia for this movie states that Mel Brooks made up scenes after the main filming was completed because everyone had so much fun that they didn't want to stop. I believe it. The marks of self-indulgence are all over this movie, from the "operatic" screams of passion to the deadpan looks every performer casts to the audience. "Breaking the fourth wall" has never before been done so often with so little positive results. This movie redefines "telegraphing the punchline."
Sorry...not a chuckle, not a laugh, not a giggle, not even a smile. This movie just doesn't make the mark. The humor is trite, clichéd, and unoriginal. (And don't bother telling me that this film is 30 years old and was the basis for the humorous clichés we now see in films. Every bit of what passes for humor in this movie can be traced to films that went before it.) * out of *****