Steve Martin's character has done pretty well for himself for having been born a poor black child. We get to see his rise from sharecropper's sun to gas station attendant (making $1.10 an hour!) Que carne worker guessing people's weight to millionaire for a suggestion of how to improve eyeglass slippage. It all comes crashing down on him as he walks out on wife Bernadette Peters when a hysterical situation involving the eyeglass holder (and director Carl Reiner!) puts him on the street.
A terrific ensemble supports Martin and makes this a film that has stood the test of time, becoming a modern comedy classic that still gives laughs guaranteed to have your chest in pain. There is Mabel King as his loving mother (fresh from her scene-stealing performance on Broadway and the film version of "The Wiz"), Jackie Mason as has employer at the gas station, Bill Macy as the partner in the eyeglass folder invention (ironically not even charged in the lawsuit against Martin!), M. Emmet Walsh as the crazy man who goes on a shooting spree against Martin (simply having picked his name out of a phone book), and Catlin Adams as the tough Carney girl whom Peters gets the best of.
Certainly, this is filled with idiotic humor but this is one of the times where that idiotic humor is genuinely funny and can be laughed at time and time again. There's a charming duet between Peters and Martin on the beach, a hysterical restaurant sequence involving snails on Peters' plate, and hystirical visuals all over, including one involving water jugs filled with both red and white wine and glasses that come out of a paper glass dispenser. it also has commentary on the situations involving hangers-on who quickly abandoned Martin when he loses his wealth and a tacky but funny scene involving "cat juggling". Another one of my favorites is the part of a church that is pulled out when Martin attaches a heavy rope to it's piping and onto a stolen car.
The script is ingenious in every detail, showing how Martin relates to each member of his adopted family, the dog who adopts him, and how he ends up with Peters who is so charming and delightful in this film that it becomes a question as to why movie stardom seems to have passed her by. (For me however, seeing her in five Broadway musicals is enough reason...) Martin, then known simply as a stand-up comic and a wild and crazy guy, probably gets the best feature film debut of any modern comedian and most of his works have lasted and can now be considered modern classics. This is also one of Reiner's best films that shows when you have the right ingredients, everything comes together and makes for a delicious meal, snails and all.
A terrific ensemble supports Martin and makes this a film that has stood the test of time, becoming a modern comedy classic that still gives laughs guaranteed to have your chest in pain. There is Mabel King as his loving mother (fresh from her scene-stealing performance on Broadway and the film version of "The Wiz"), Jackie Mason as has employer at the gas station, Bill Macy as the partner in the eyeglass folder invention (ironically not even charged in the lawsuit against Martin!), M. Emmet Walsh as the crazy man who goes on a shooting spree against Martin (simply having picked his name out of a phone book), and Catlin Adams as the tough Carney girl whom Peters gets the best of.
Certainly, this is filled with idiotic humor but this is one of the times where that idiotic humor is genuinely funny and can be laughed at time and time again. There's a charming duet between Peters and Martin on the beach, a hysterical restaurant sequence involving snails on Peters' plate, and hystirical visuals all over, including one involving water jugs filled with both red and white wine and glasses that come out of a paper glass dispenser. it also has commentary on the situations involving hangers-on who quickly abandoned Martin when he loses his wealth and a tacky but funny scene involving "cat juggling". Another one of my favorites is the part of a church that is pulled out when Martin attaches a heavy rope to it's piping and onto a stolen car.
The script is ingenious in every detail, showing how Martin relates to each member of his adopted family, the dog who adopts him, and how he ends up with Peters who is so charming and delightful in this film that it becomes a question as to why movie stardom seems to have passed her by. (For me however, seeing her in five Broadway musicals is enough reason...) Martin, then known simply as a stand-up comic and a wild and crazy guy, probably gets the best feature film debut of any modern comedian and most of his works have lasted and can now be considered modern classics. This is also one of Reiner's best films that shows when you have the right ingredients, everything comes together and makes for a delicious meal, snails and all.