This should've been foolproof: Jerry Lewis playing a male variant of Cinderella, unloved and hoping to go to the ball. Talented writer-director Frank Tashlin allows Lewis to run rampant with the idea, which turns out to be a one-joke affair. Production is glossy, but the execution is enervated, overlong and fairly unfunny from the start. Jerry predictably mugs--he's never less than shameless--but with such weak material (and too much incidental chatter), he simply becomes a nuisance. His entrance in the ball sequence is, however, a wonderful bit, but it can't save the movie from being a huge disappointment. *1/2 from ****
Review of Cinderfella
