MEL BROOKS

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5.  

USA, 1987.  Brooksfilms, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Screenplay by Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, Ronny Graham.  Cinematography by Nick McLean.  Produced by Mel Brooks.  Music by John Morris.  Production Design by Terence Marsh.  Costume Design by Donfeld.  Film Editing by Conrad Buff IV.

Far behind the class of Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, and yet this Star Wars spoof is still not as graceless as Mel Brooks’ later films (Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Dracula: Dead And Loving It) would be.  Bill Pullman plays a flying winnebago-driving drifter who rescues a Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) who has just fled her own wedding with her cyborg companion Dot Matrix (the voice of Joan Rivers). John Candy plays Barf, the half-dog Chewbacca-like creature that accompanies Pullman wherever he goes. They travel across the galaxy in an attempt to return Zuniga safely to her father so that she can finally be married and Pullman can collect the reward money. In the meantime they visit lots of planets and square off with the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis, some of whose bits are the film’s best). Not nearly intelligent enough to be considered a good movie, yet it’s just too funny to miss. If for nothing else, it’s worth it for a hysterical scene where John Hurt rips off his famous scene from Alien.