Movie, Movie

Movie, Movie (1978)

Genres - Musical  |   Sub-Genres - Parody/Spoof, Musical Comedy  |   Release Date - Nov 1, 1978 (USA - Unknown), Nov 1, 1978 (USA)  |   Run Time - 105 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - PG
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Review by Craig Butler

Movie, Movie came about in response to the spate of spoofs (particularly those by Mel Brooks) that proliferated in the 1970s. Writer Larry Gelbart felt that the ideas behind most of them were good but couldn't sustain a full-length picture -- thus Movie, Movie's short "double feature" concept. There's a marvelous symmetry in the execution, with (practically) the entire cast of the first segment being carried over into the second. The writers and director Stanley Donen have a wonderful feel for the period, and while the entire enterprise is ultimately just a silly exercise, they treat it with the appropriate blend of seriousness and fun. While the "Dynamite Fists" segment is very amusing, it's the "Blansky's Beauties" feature that is the real keeper here. The bargain-basement Busby Berkeley-style musical numbers are executed to perfection, especially in the use of dancers on bicycles in the finale. The score is an amusing pastiche which produces quite a few chuckles. The cast is, for the most part, finely tuned into the appropriate style, with Barbara Harris, Michael Kidd, and Barry Bostwick especially noteworthy. Ironically, considering its origins, the film goes on a shade too long, but it's frothy, tongue-in-cheek fun that old movie aficionados will especially appreciate.