I really like Neil Simon, like the actors here, but disliked this movie. It plays like an extended sketch and a not particularly funny one. Also the styles don't mesh. Bogart in The Maltese Falcon is different from Bogart in Casablanca - war is different from the big city, it doesn't work. I didn't care. It was smart arsey and annoying.
I did like it that elder actresses got the chance to shine. Louise Fletcher channelling Ingrid Bergman, Fernando Lamas channelling Paul Henreid, Ann Margret channelling Lauren Barcall, Marsha Mason channelling Gladys George, Madeleine Khan (best of all) channelling Mary Astor. Eileen Brennan is in there too. So is John Houseman, Dom de Luise, Sid Caesar, James Coco.
Mel Brooks did this better.
There was a lot of Bogart spoofing in the 70s - this, Murder by Death, The Black Bird, The Man with Bogart's Face etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment