MEL BROOKS
Bil’s rating (out of 5): B.
USA/France, 1995. Gaumont, Castle Rock Entertainment, Brooksfilms. Story by Rudy De Luca, Steve Haberman, Screenplay by Mel Brooks, Rudy De Luca, Steve Haberman, based on characters created by Bram Stoker. Cinematography by Michael D. O’Shea. Produced by Mel Brooks. Music by Hummie Mann. Production Design by Roy Forge Smith. Costume Design by Dodie Shepard. Film Editing by Adam Weiss.
It’s no shock that Mel Brooks’ spoof of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale is completely ridiculous, but the real problem here is that it’s not in the least bit funny. Leslie Nielsen‘s brand of humour is far too obvious for the more subtle tricks that Brooks is hardly trying to play on his audience, leaving harder working actors like Amy Locane and Steven Weber looking weak in his wake. It has its moments, but for the most part you’d be better off renting Spaceballs or one of Brooks’ oldie classics like Young Frankenstein. Look for an unbilled cameo by Brooks’ real-life wife, Anne Bancroft.
