This film seemed hysterically funny when I saw this in the movie theater upon its initial release. I continued to find it funny when it came out of VHS and recommended it to my regular customers at the video store I worked at. Some customers came back very pleased while others were disappointed, finding the parody of the Marx Brothers in poor taste or just not funny. Seeing it nearly 30 years later, I find it amusing, if not as hysterical, but in watching it in a double bill with "A Night at the Opera", it is certainly worth a third and fourth look every 27 years or so.
Truly wonderful claymation opening credits set up the stage for a delightful parody of "A Night at the Opera", setting it in the world of ballet instead, and featuring the always wonderful Nancy Marchand terrific in the role of the befuddled Lillian Oggelthorpe, a modern day version of Margaret Dumont. John Turturro is frenetic and often exhausting as the Groucho like attorney, an ambulance chaser who the manipulative charm won over Lillian as a client. An inept gardener (Bob Nelson) represents Harpo, and Mel Smith is a hyper taxi driver, parodying Chico.
George de la Pena, playing the ballet dancer version of "Night of the Opera's" Walter Woolf King, is hysterically vain, but I wouldn't want to work for the crazy Turturro as he is here. There are bland performances by Spike Alexander and Juliana Donald, representing Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle, and their attempt to modernize ballet seems like something more appropriate for VH1. John Savident is delightfully stuffy though as Marchand's longtime solicitor who suffers from all sorts of indignities.
This follows the plot of "A Night at the Opera" incredibly close, and indeed some of the gags are very funny. But others land with a thud. The three clowns honestly lack in the chemistry department that the three brothers had, and only Turturro has had any career of note. But if it was able to get younger viewers to explore the classic styles of the Marx Brothers and other teams, then it did some good.
Truly wonderful claymation opening credits set up the stage for a delightful parody of "A Night at the Opera", setting it in the world of ballet instead, and featuring the always wonderful Nancy Marchand terrific in the role of the befuddled Lillian Oggelthorpe, a modern day version of Margaret Dumont. John Turturro is frenetic and often exhausting as the Groucho like attorney, an ambulance chaser who the manipulative charm won over Lillian as a client. An inept gardener (Bob Nelson) represents Harpo, and Mel Smith is a hyper taxi driver, parodying Chico.
George de la Pena, playing the ballet dancer version of "Night of the Opera's" Walter Woolf King, is hysterically vain, but I wouldn't want to work for the crazy Turturro as he is here. There are bland performances by Spike Alexander and Juliana Donald, representing Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle, and their attempt to modernize ballet seems like something more appropriate for VH1. John Savident is delightfully stuffy though as Marchand's longtime solicitor who suffers from all sorts of indignities.
This follows the plot of "A Night at the Opera" incredibly close, and indeed some of the gags are very funny. But others land with a thud. The three clowns honestly lack in the chemistry department that the three brothers had, and only Turturro has had any career of note. But if it was able to get younger viewers to explore the classic styles of the Marx Brothers and other teams, then it did some good.