The Silence of the Hams

Silence Of The Hams was brilliant. You know, I hate it when people try to analyze the movie, and try to pick out all the politically incorrect phrases and actions. SHUT... UP !!! And some people are saying "Uhh, it's not as good as Loaded Weapon 1". SO... WHAT !!! Does that mean that I have to like it less now ? Umm... No. This movie had so many clever and stupid jokes in it. It parodied several hit movies and I think this movie deserves more credit than it's getting. I mean, come on, how many movies do you know have a migit with an extendable arm, and Pavaroti ? Hmm ? Rent this movie now. I give this movie a 10 !!!

I can't think of another movie in which an actor replayed his most famous role...for laughs. Millions of people over several decades saw Martin Balsam as the Detective who Gets Killed on the Stairs in "Psycho" (1960). And here he was, 34 years later, playing his every scene from the original as a gag.

Unlike "Psycho" shower murder victim Janet Leigh, Balsam always refused to give interviews on his scenes in "Psycho," feeling it was given too much notice over his other films (he won the 1965 Oscar for "A Thousand Clowns.") I guess he was finally willing to revisit the detective -- for pay. Maybe it was revenge for Balsam to play the role in so bad a movie this time.

Yeah, "Silence of the Hams" is terrible, but as a film artifact, I find Balsam's appearance amazing. His physical appearance, too. He's a fair sight more elderly and frail in "Silence of the Hams" than he was in "Psycho," but he takes his staircase fall ("Again??!!") yet again with grace and humor. Intriguing: this was made by its star, Italian comedian Ezio Greggio, and Martin Balsam died in Italy about a year later. Balsam had appeared in many other Italian-made films. Was this film made in Italy?

This movie runs too close to the vein of "Repossessed" inasmuch as the bad jokes nearly out number the good ones. Some of them are stolen from Benny Hill,Airplane and the Naked Guns while the rest of the movie relies heavily on prop jokes and sight gags. The only semi-appealing trait of the movie is how it is filled with numerous recognizable faces such as Lana Scwab from "Repossessed," John Landis, Bubba Smith, Nedra Volz, Peter DeLuise and Wilhelm Von Homburg,Vigo from "Ghostbusters 2." There's also some dead-on lookalikes for George Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately, Billy Zane is trying to be too much like Frank Drebin, even stealing his parking style of running into things, while walking around doing his role in a dull trance and jumping into his emotions. He does provide some comic relief as he shows he's more interested in the money than his girlfriend. She's played by Charlene Tilton in an unflattering hair-do and heavy make-up. She also seems to be allowing her figure to do her acting for her. In one of his last roles, Martin Balsam replays his famous scenes from "Psycho." He says,"I feel as if I've been here before." We all have. Larry Storch is stuck doing his old "F-Troop" slapstick as a big-mouth FBI klutz and Stuart Pankin is his haplessly unlucky superior. John Astin plays the "Psycho" sheriff as if he was really Gomez (don't forget to snap your fingers) and Dom DeLuise tries his hand at Hannibal Lecter becoming one of the few really funny characters in the movie as he creates some wierdly disorienting illusions. He does flub a line as he says "I'm off into the arms of Orpheus." I'm sure he meant the god of dreams, Morpheus, not the Thracian musician-prince. Also in the movie is Joanna Pacula,who's not attractive enough to be sexy, and Phyllis Diller as an annoyingly senile old bat pushing her coffee. Rip Taylor is her and Tilton's boss whose name has gone from Hardy to Laurel. One of the trully funny characters is Ezio Greggio, but he has no idea of what works and what doesn't as it seems as if he has thrown together a lot of different jokes. Some of the scenes work very well, but the last scene with the masks is embarrassing for the actors, Tilton even takes a moment to admit it. It brings down the entire movie and pretty much ruins what was already a dying parody.Still, I do like this movie enough to recommend it, but I don't think anyone has the mind to really like this movie.

This movies cover leads you to believe that it is a spoof of Silence of the Lambs, but the movie itself is more of a spoof of Psycho. It has a few good jokes here and there, but for the most part it is the same old gags. That is the case with most spoofs though, dumb joke after dumb joke with a gem scattered here and there. Dom Deleuise plays the Hannibal type character and that is one of the mistakes of the movie. This may be a spoof, but you still need someone with a Hopkins like demeanor. The guy who did Hannibal in "Loaded Weapon 1" was much better. Billy Zane is okay in his role as Joe Dee Foster and there are some others who do all right as well. Though it seems that every spoof has to have a cameo by someone who isn't and never has been a real star. Usually, it is Hulk Hogan or Dr. Joyce Brothers...in this one it is Rip Taylor and Bubba Smith. Is there some rule that says you have to have a cameo from one of these people if you are making a spoof? Though I thought the one scene with John Astin running up behind Billy in the bowling alley was funny...I don't know why.

Yes, this movie is like Naked Gun and Airplane. It was a good movie, not great good. If you like just plain silly, laugh a minute (or in this movie, like every second line. I don' think there was a serious part in the movie) than give this one a shot. Not a masterpiece of the genre, but just for fun