Spaceballs won me over in a succession of three scenes in chapter 10 of the DVD. Yoghurt (played by Brooks, sending up Yoda) has a line that everybody thinks, but it expresses it so eloquently its just perfect. The young hero (Bill Pullman) asks Yoghurt, as he's about to get on his spaceship, "will we meet again?"
Yoghurt says "Who knows. God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs II: Da Search for More Money," (in a Jewish accent, like a Yiddish wiseman).
We cut straight to Rick Moranis, playing Lord Dark Helmet. Camera behind his huge helmet. We hear him talking to Princess Leia, i mean Vespa, telling her what he will do to her if she doesn't talk. The camera pans slowly around the reveal that he's not talking to the princess, but playing with some dolls/action figures of the characters of the film. Its a terrific, precious scene. Watch the light on the desk wobbling as Helmet gets so excited he's shaking the desk. The scene closes with the light wobbling for comic effect.
Cut to a closeup of a toilet role in President Scroob (great name, great character, played by Brooks)'s bathroom. On the toilet role is printed "Official Spaceballs Toilet Paper." Camera pans up to reveal Scroob pissing and a video monitor covering the wall in front of the toilet suddenly turns on, shocking the heck out of him.
"Ah!" Scroob says, "I told you not to call me on this wall. This is an unlisted wall."
*
As soon as I saw this toilet paper was merchandise for the movie, juxtaposed with the scene where Helmet was playing with action figures (ie, merchandise), i knew i'd fallen in love with this movie.
From this point on, Brooks can do no wrong: "Permit me to introduce the young plastic surgeon Dr Phillip Schlodkin - the greatest nosejob man in the entire universe... and Beverly Hills."
Brooks' performances are actually great in this. Better than Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie, in my opinion.
I'll warn you, the video cover makes it look shoddy - you get the feeling this will be the Mel Brooks movie people find it chic to say "what a misfire," and the first fifteen minutes of the movie, including John Candy's ridiculous costume which sends up Chewy in Star Wars, seem to confirm this suspicion. Like Silent Movie, its a send-up of a genre, but Brooks really just uses this as a sounding-off board for his own farcical comedy. I find these movies more Mel-Brooks comedies than spoofs. Although this one contains quite a bit of great satire of the money-grabbing nature of Star Wars and more.
John Candy fans will not be pleased - he's fairly annoying in this, and not the best part of the movie. For everyone else, this is great bedtime viewing fun. 7/10.
Yoghurt says "Who knows. God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs II: Da Search for More Money," (in a Jewish accent, like a Yiddish wiseman).
We cut straight to Rick Moranis, playing Lord Dark Helmet. Camera behind his huge helmet. We hear him talking to Princess Leia, i mean Vespa, telling her what he will do to her if she doesn't talk. The camera pans slowly around the reveal that he's not talking to the princess, but playing with some dolls/action figures of the characters of the film. Its a terrific, precious scene. Watch the light on the desk wobbling as Helmet gets so excited he's shaking the desk. The scene closes with the light wobbling for comic effect.
Cut to a closeup of a toilet role in President Scroob (great name, great character, played by Brooks)'s bathroom. On the toilet role is printed "Official Spaceballs Toilet Paper." Camera pans up to reveal Scroob pissing and a video monitor covering the wall in front of the toilet suddenly turns on, shocking the heck out of him.
"Ah!" Scroob says, "I told you not to call me on this wall. This is an unlisted wall."
*
As soon as I saw this toilet paper was merchandise for the movie, juxtaposed with the scene where Helmet was playing with action figures (ie, merchandise), i knew i'd fallen in love with this movie.
From this point on, Brooks can do no wrong: "Permit me to introduce the young plastic surgeon Dr Phillip Schlodkin - the greatest nosejob man in the entire universe... and Beverly Hills."
Brooks' performances are actually great in this. Better than Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie, in my opinion.
I'll warn you, the video cover makes it look shoddy - you get the feeling this will be the Mel Brooks movie people find it chic to say "what a misfire," and the first fifteen minutes of the movie, including John Candy's ridiculous costume which sends up Chewy in Star Wars, seem to confirm this suspicion. Like Silent Movie, its a send-up of a genre, but Brooks really just uses this as a sounding-off board for his own farcical comedy. I find these movies more Mel-Brooks comedies than spoofs. Although this one contains quite a bit of great satire of the money-grabbing nature of Star Wars and more.
John Candy fans will not be pleased - he's fairly annoying in this, and not the best part of the movie. For everyone else, this is great bedtime viewing fun. 7/10.