"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" could be described as the "quintessential comedy". It features elements from almost every kind of comedy that has been made before. An unrelenting farce, "Mad World" never gives you a moment to rid yourself of the smiling face that you'll have during the two and a half hours it lasts.
The story is supposedly very simple and it begins quite quick. An old prisoner who escaped from jail has a serious accident and before passing away, he reveals to the five witnesses around him that he buried a treasure in Santa Rosita Park "under the big W".
The five men agree to search for the treasure altogether, but because one of the guys is accompanied by his wife, another one by his spouse and his annoying mother-in-law, two of them are together and the last one is alone, dividing the treasure into equal parts becomes too much difficult (ah, women...), so it becomes "every man for himself".
From that moment, the movie turns into a monumental collection of goofy moments, involving more and more characters, each one earning his merit. They're all played by legendary comedic actors, ranging from Spencer Tracy to Jonathan Winters, and including Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney. Other legends are also only cameos, such as Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges.
The comic elements of "Mad World" are so much diverse that we could think that every joke or funny moment that has been put on screen is presented here.
The movie is profoundly silly but is also surprisingly intelligent. I say intelligent because each gag is carefully plotted and it never seems out of context and never looks like an excuse.
The result, for each scene, is the following one: everything that could possibly go wrong DOES go wrong. And each plot element that could make the treasure chase easier for one of the contestants hides a trap that cancels the character's excitement and ignites ours.
To prove it, just consider this part: Melville (Sid Caesar) and his wife Monica (Edie Adams) are in Santa Rosita well before the others. All they have to do is go to the hardware to get a shovel and a pick. They're told that the owner is downstairs in the basement so they go there. However, the owner was upstairs and he unconsciously locks the basement, confining Melville and Monica into the basement.
There are so many comedic moments like this one that we could almost forget that it is a treasure hunt. It's because of the quality of the Roses' (William and Tania) screenplay and of Stanley Kramer's solid direction, which is surprising when you consider that Kramer is a drama expert.
The makers of the movie are so talented that they're able to turn a very simple plot into a comic extravaganza that lasts for about 155 minutes and we never notice time's running. And even when they all arrive into the Santa Rosita park, there's about one hour remaining, but surprises occur at every corner and the comic lot goes over again.
The different jokes portrayed on screen vary from the unintentional firing of several firework boxes to the very last one (and most classic one): the legendary banana peel on which we stumble. Some of the most unforgettable moments are the tower controller falling and hanging from the tower, Melville and Monica "jailed" inside the hardware basement and their numerous escape attempts, Dingy and Benjy trying to fly a plane and the list goes on and on and on...
However, the best moments are certainly the climatic triple-car chase and the slapstick finale in a condemned building and on a firetruck's ladder...
So, so, so... You want to laugh a lot and you don't know what to rent, buy or watch? Look no further. This hilarious near-celebration of comedy itself is unrelentingly funny from the beginning to the end. Because of the laughs it provides, it makes you understand how the world is mad, mad, mad, mad...
The story is supposedly very simple and it begins quite quick. An old prisoner who escaped from jail has a serious accident and before passing away, he reveals to the five witnesses around him that he buried a treasure in Santa Rosita Park "under the big W".
The five men agree to search for the treasure altogether, but because one of the guys is accompanied by his wife, another one by his spouse and his annoying mother-in-law, two of them are together and the last one is alone, dividing the treasure into equal parts becomes too much difficult (ah, women...), so it becomes "every man for himself".
From that moment, the movie turns into a monumental collection of goofy moments, involving more and more characters, each one earning his merit. They're all played by legendary comedic actors, ranging from Spencer Tracy to Jonathan Winters, and including Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney. Other legends are also only cameos, such as Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges.
The comic elements of "Mad World" are so much diverse that we could think that every joke or funny moment that has been put on screen is presented here.
The movie is profoundly silly but is also surprisingly intelligent. I say intelligent because each gag is carefully plotted and it never seems out of context and never looks like an excuse.
The result, for each scene, is the following one: everything that could possibly go wrong DOES go wrong. And each plot element that could make the treasure chase easier for one of the contestants hides a trap that cancels the character's excitement and ignites ours.
To prove it, just consider this part: Melville (Sid Caesar) and his wife Monica (Edie Adams) are in Santa Rosita well before the others. All they have to do is go to the hardware to get a shovel and a pick. They're told that the owner is downstairs in the basement so they go there. However, the owner was upstairs and he unconsciously locks the basement, confining Melville and Monica into the basement.
There are so many comedic moments like this one that we could almost forget that it is a treasure hunt. It's because of the quality of the Roses' (William and Tania) screenplay and of Stanley Kramer's solid direction, which is surprising when you consider that Kramer is a drama expert.
The makers of the movie are so talented that they're able to turn a very simple plot into a comic extravaganza that lasts for about 155 minutes and we never notice time's running. And even when they all arrive into the Santa Rosita park, there's about one hour remaining, but surprises occur at every corner and the comic lot goes over again.
The different jokes portrayed on screen vary from the unintentional firing of several firework boxes to the very last one (and most classic one): the legendary banana peel on which we stumble. Some of the most unforgettable moments are the tower controller falling and hanging from the tower, Melville and Monica "jailed" inside the hardware basement and their numerous escape attempts, Dingy and Benjy trying to fly a plane and the list goes on and on and on...
However, the best moments are certainly the climatic triple-car chase and the slapstick finale in a condemned building and on a firetruck's ladder...
So, so, so... You want to laugh a lot and you don't know what to rent, buy or watch? Look no further. This hilarious near-celebration of comedy itself is unrelentingly funny from the beginning to the end. Because of the laughs it provides, it makes you understand how the world is mad, mad, mad, mad...