Young Frankenstein (1974)
It’s pronounced ‘FRAH-kin-steen.’
THE SUMMARY: When Frederick Frankenstein inherits his grandfather’s Transylvania estate, he visits the property and discovers his grandpa knew the secrets of reanimation, so Frederick fulfills his Frankenstein destiny and creates a monster in a spoof of yesteryear’s horror style.
In ways, this is the worst kind of movie to watch and review, but not because it’s bad - it’s just a movie that I’m totally apathetic about. A movie I neither enjoyed nor suffered through. I didn’t get the fun of loving it. I didn’t get the fun of hating it. It’s just a movie I watched, and that’s about it. This review will surely be the shortest I’ve written, because I just didn’t care about this movie.
Perhaps I haven’t seen enough old-school horror for the jokes to land. Perhaps great comedy from 47 years ago otherwise escapes me. Or, perhaps it’s just intermittently funny, with some quality laughs but plenty of time between them to check your watch.
THE BEST:
Eye-gore is the character that makes the movie: He’s the one who had me laughing the most. His lines are well-written and well-delivered, and his character hits that perfect comedy point of being quirky and funny without being over-the-top and annoying. Plus, he even gave himself a rimshot after his ‘just a hunch’ line. Well done.
Decent writing and bits: This isn’t a movie totally void of laughs - it just didn’t consistently have me laughing. The ‘sedative’ charade game was a great recurring bit.
SedaGIVE?!
THE WORST:
Gene Wilder won’t stop yelling: I understand it’s supposed to be ironically dramatic, but his non-step yelling just didn’t work for me. He’s either speaking quietly or screaming. It’s not a dial - it’s a switch.
The bits that don’t land: I didn’t get the Inspector Kemp character at all. Why is it funny if nobody can understand him? Same for the ending bit about Frederick getting his monster’s package in exchange for his brain - why is it funny that he and his fiancé cheated on each other? Is it a happy ending? The scene with the monster and the blind man was also a long snooze.
THE RATING: 3/5 Wickies, but the worst kind of mediocre rating. Not a balance between high points and low points - it’s just that all points where bland and forgettable. Nothing truly excellent. Nothing truly awful. Just truly meh.
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NEXT WEEK: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
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