Where's Poppa?

Short of most John Waters films, today's cinema offers little by way of absurd comedy. Generally speaking, cinema has sold out to Nike, Madison avenue and all the rest of the greedy faces behind Hollywood who make sure their "clients" products are wagged in yor face and written into the script.(Think of "What Women Want" or "E.T." for instance) Well, here's a film that takes comedic chances and pays off big! This film is a equal opportunity offender and is in nobody's pocket! Segal and Gordon are in perfect pacing and timing thanks to Carl Riner's direction and no holds barred attack on everything. I can not recommend this film enough to the intelligent viewer who hungers for more than the banal "comedies" of today which are for the most part nothing more than padded 90 minute commercials.

I saw this movie originally in 1970. It was a co-feature with a movie called Sunday Bloody Sunday which is what we actually went to see. When this film came on my first reaction was, What the hell! Within minutes I was laughing and the laughs never stopped. I lived in Seattle at the time, but I had grown up in New York City, so the events of the film had a special cache for me. The parts that occurred within Central Park were incredibly funny, and the Taxicab scene is a true classic. I have seen a lot of films in the intervening years and have attempted several time to find a copy of this film (I was finally successful this morning). Despite the years since first seeing it and all that I have seen since nothing has ever topped this film for just plain fun. Carl Reiner is a true comic genius.

No, he did get one thing right: the plot summary is fine. But, Wayne misses the point about "black humor": it's NOT supposed to have limits, by definition. Yes, the bits are meant to skewer what we consider "sacred" and, yes, it will offend those you can't ponder why certain societal taboos exist. As a whole the movie is far, far tamer than a lot of the crap that passes for "art" and comedy these days. Is the plot warped? Yes. Do you stare slack-jawed in disbelief at some bits? Yes. Is it funny? Totally, but not in a Jerry Lewis or Jerry Seinfeld way (though some of absurd parts do have a Seinfeldesque quality). That's why I give it an 8 out of 10. (He did get one other thing right: the courtroom scene is pretty priceless).

After reading some of the negative comments on this film,I felt I must add a comment or two,myself. God bless you,Carl Reiner for taking one of the most laugh out loud novels (By Robert Klane) and turning it into my favorite black comedy classic. My mother,God rest her, was,in many ways very similar to Ruth Gordon's masterful portrayal. While my Mother was still alive,I found many reasons to laugh at some of her shennanagins,especially her treatment of me,and now that she's passed,I have fond,funny memories that if it were not for this film,I'd have spent a lot more time in therapy than I had to. Criticising the film,It's direction,or any of the actor's performences is,to me,ridiculous and can only be a lack of knowledge of the art of acting or cinema in general. Is it the greatest comedy ever produced? No. But it certainly is among the most unique. On newer prints,however,I would avoid the last few minutes of the film,as it does change the overall flavor,and should have ended as it did in it's theatrical releases. Just turn the tape off as you hear the song,"I Don't want to go like this,so I'll just go like that..."

From a very young Rob Reiner (and a tiny cameo by his fiance Penny Marshall), to jokes about rape, this is obviously a product of a very specific window in history. Reiner's character goes off on a World War II officer regarding the draft, black crime is everywhere (almost it's own character) and women are emotional, needy, and can't figure out anything without a man. Sex is considered creepy and weird, and therefore mentioning porn is supposed to have a huge audience shock value. Sorry, no, there's no actual sex, besides an off screen rape, shown. The movie opens with a scene of Gordon being woken up by a clock radio, with the New York radio show "Rambling with Gambling" playing. I remember that show growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, so that brought a smile to my face right away. The rest of the movie kind of diddled along. I have an elderly mother, so I could relate to Gordon's feelings somewhat. I felt sorry for the guy! With the star power and the funny moments and the nostalgia, I think it's a solid seven.