Reviews (9)

A love made in America
Just before Ted Danson began his 11th and final season of his sitcom Cheers in 1992,he teamed up with Whoopi Goldberg in this hysterical and somewhat romantic comedy. This led to the stars' real-life brief romance. Hal Jackson(Danson) is a truck salesman who is the father of Zora Matthews(Nia Long). Zora's mother(Goldberg) was artificially inseminated when she became pregnant with Zora. When Zora went to the sperm bank,she learned Hal was her father,which means she's half-caucasian. Supporting cast members include Jennifer Tilly,who's Hal's girlfriend and Will Smith,who was then the star of the sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. This led to a major film career for former rapper Smith. In the final scene,at Zora's high school graduation,Hal and Zora's mother are embracing and smooching. That reminds fans of TV's The Jeffersons of the sitcom's interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis.

Made in America
The movie was funny because of Will smith and Whoopi but the reason I like this movie was because it was filmed in my hometown which is Oakland.Everytime I watch it i always think about When I did not want to leave Oakland. I'm originally from East Oakland. Good shot at Lake merritt.

P.S.
Nia long was bangin in the movie
4 Real

Made in America
I can watch this movie over and over because the best thing abotu this movie is that it was film in my hometown which is Oakland(East Oakland)By Lake Merritt.Everytime I watch it I Think of living back in Oakland.

P.S.
Nia Long looked so damn good

Sweet, funny and sometimes silly
Definitely not the best film in the world, but very enjoyable. Ted Danson plays a self-absorbed, alcoholic, bed-hopping car salesman and wealthy owner of a large car dealership. Whoopi Goldberg portrays a widowed single mom of a teenage daughter who owns an African-centric shop.

Whoopi has given the impression to her daughter that her late husband was her child's father, but when she finds her father's death certificate, she knows that is impossible. Whoopi confesses that in the lonely period after her husband's death, she resorted to sperm donation.

With the help of her boyfriend (hilariously played by Will Smith), she breaks into the sperm bank's computer records to find the identity of her father and lo and behold - it's Ted Danson.

She's a little shocked and when she reveals her findings to her mother, her mother is horrified. When Ted Danson's character is confronted with the news, his life takes a 180. He now has responsibilities as a father, even though he was told that his sperm would only be used for research when he donated several years earlier. He now has something to live for and finds that he can actually like himself and he finds himself loving the child he never knew. He stops bed-hopping and drinking and finds himself focusing on catching up on his daughter's life.

There are some ridiculous scenes in this movie and some very cheesy, over-acted parts, but as a whole, it is an entertaining and enjoyable experience. There are a few scenes that will put a lump in your throat and others that will have you doubled-over with laughter... and in the end, you feel you're a part of this mixed-heritage family.

Failed attempt at comedy
Made in America fails to bring in the laughs, and worse, it presents a great opportunity to deal with race issues, yet never deals with it beyond "He's white? He can't be your father!"

This film begins with a promising premise. What if a black girl found out her father, a sperm donor, was actually white? But instead of creating a fascinating mix of social commentary on race and brilliant comedy, it gives us slapstick. And unfunny slapstick at that. I laughed... once.

This film's one saving grace is Whoopie. She adds some energy to most of her scenes. But even she seems unexcited to be in this movie. It's one of her least funny roles. Made in America also gives a young Will Smith a role, and it's clear from the start that it wasn't until after this film that he matured as an actor.

This movie is only for really, really big Whoopie fans. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

A Valentine to New York
Alan Swann: Alfredo, telephone the Stork Club, we'll be two for dinner. Alfi: You sure you want the Stork Club, Mr. Swann? Alan Swann: It's been a year and a half. Surely they've repaired the wall of the bandstand by now. Former actor Richard Benjamin's near classic comedy "My Favorite Year" opens on 50th Street and Broadway in the Manhattan of 1954. Summer sunshine glistens off a new Oldsmobile. Fading, dissolute matinee idol Alan Swann is about to appear in his first live television program. Or will He? Peter O'Toole stars as movie swashbuckler Alan Swann( a thin impersonation of Errol Flynn). O'Toole verifies the comedic spark first seen in 1965's "What's New Pussycat?". A talented cast includes Mark Linn-Baker, Bill Macy, Lainie Kazan, and Cameron Mitchell. Film-within-a-film flashbacks reveal scenes from O'Toole's "Lord Jim". The director's penchant for long, theatrical episodes produces a slow but studied pace. Don't worry. The effect is marvelous. This brand new widescreen anamorphic 1.85:1 DVD of "My Favorite Year" is a stately Warners release. The digital transfer reveals some sloppy mattes around the actors' heads in the firehose balcony sequence. But by then, you'll be laughing so hard you won't even notice. The DVD includes generous chapter stops, a trailer, and splendid audio commentary by Benjamin, as he defines the dangers and head-aches of directing an MGM movie. In "My Favorite Year", veteran Gloria Stuart has a small non-speaking bit part. 20 years later, in a larger role, Stuart played Old Rose in a much more famous film tragedy set in 1912. It was the resonant epic about a ship that could not float.

"Double the lad's bet for me, you toad!"
"My Favorite Year is one of my favorite movies. Set in 1954, it's about an aging movie idol, Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), who is to make a guest appearance on a television variety show hosted by King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). However, it turns out that Swann is a libidinous lush, and the freshman writer for the show, Benjie Stone (formerly Steinberg, played by Mark Linn-Baker), is assigned to stay with him--and keep him sober and out of trouble--until after the show. The rest of the movie concerns their adventures together. The film overflows with one-liners and physical comedy, all of which stays remarkably fresh and amusing, even after repeated viewings. The script produces some classic lines; for example, during a take-out feast in which Stone is trying to woo the object of his lust (K.C. Downing, played by Jessica Harper), she comments that he really knows his dim sum. He replies, "Katherine, Jews know two things: suffering and where to find great Chinese food." The DVD also has an informative voice-over commentary by Richard Benjamin, whose first directing job was this film.

One Of My Favorite Films !
I would have to place this into my top ten favorite films of all times. It's a rather unknown delightful comedy that should not be missed by any movie fan. Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker and the rest of the cast are perfect in their rolls. You will not be sorry renting or buying this DVD.

How great is this movie?
I'll tell you. This movie is so great that I was able to rent it and entertain my GRANDPARENTS for an entire evening. I discovered it right after it was released because it was at the same time we got cable. (Man, were WE behind the times!) This movie has it all; a great cast, scads of great one-liners, and best of all, you can pull it out and show it knowing that most people have never heard of it.

O'Toole Dazzling in Wonderful in 'Golden Age' Homage!
Have you ever watched a film and wished it wouldn't end? Where you loved all the characters, adored each scene, and laughed at every joke, even after you'd seen the film so many times that you could quote the dialog? MY FAVORITE YEAR is that kind of movie!

Directed with gusto by Richard Benjamin, the film is both a loving tribute to Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Show', and the remarkable talents that brought it together each week, and a sincere homage to Errol Flynn, whose antics and larger-than-life persona, in the waning years of his life, still had the kind of magic that could enthrall a shy young fan, or make a woman swoon.

Three dynamic performances dominate the film. Mark Linn-Baker, as Benjy Stone, based on the young Mel Brooks, is a shy kid who hides his insecurities behind a rapid-fire wit. The dazzling young star in a staff of comedy 'pros', Stone suffers from an unrequited love from fellow staffer K. C. Downing (Jessica Harper), and has an inspiration, inviting legendary swashbuckler Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) to appear on the show. As King Kaiser, star of the hit series, Joseph Bologna captures much of Sid Caesar's legendary physical 'presence' and irreverence to authority. When threatened by gangsters over a 'too close to home' series of parodies about crime boss Karl Rojeck (portrayed with brute menace by veteran actor Cameron Mitchell), Kaiser 'thumbs his nose' at them, mimicking the gangster mercilessly. "I'll KEEP doing it!" he taunts. "Why? Because it's FUNNY!"

Then there is Peter O'Toole's 'Alan Swann'. With his own career a roller coaster ride of alcoholism, resulting in the near destruction of his health, no actor could have 'channeled' Errol Flynn better. Just as Flynn, by the 1950s, was a nearly burned-out roue, his classic good looks long gone, O'Toole's matinee-idol appearance, after years of self-abuse, had aged into a gaunt mask, making Benji Stone's film montage of 'classic' clips more poignant. What Flynn still had, in abundance, was charm and a ready wit, and O'Toole's 'Swann' is so enchanting a personality that you can't help but love him, and root for him to succeed.

From the opening nostalgic strains of Nat King Cole's rendition of 'Stardust', through Benjy's futile effort to attempt to keep Swann sober (Red Skelton loved to tell how he kept Flynn sober on his program...he emptied all of the actor's bottles of vodka, replacing it with water...and Flynn couldn't tell the difference!), to a riotous Swann dinner with Benjy's family, to the near-disastrous broadcast, with Swann developing stage fright, and Kaiser brawling with mob enforcers...MY FAVORITE YEAR has one glorious scene after another, each unforgettable!

One of the AFI's '100 Greatest Film Comedies', MY FAVORITE YEAR will bring a tear to your eye, even as you laugh. It was a time of legends, and heroes who would live up to boyhood dreams.

Film comedy doesn't get any better than this! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Trying To Out-distance Fate.
Although the superficial theme of this film is young love, the heart of the film is in the subtle ways that Henry (Sean Penn) tries to come to terms with the harsh realities of his impending military service. Henry knows that, in less than a year, he will probably be on some remote Pacific island, fighting one insane Japanese soldier after another to the death. While he has no idea of the horrors to come, he definitely feels a sense of impending doom.

The movie's most telling scene is after Callie (Elizabeth McGovern) is angred by Henry & Nicky (Nicolas Cage) when they make fun of their school's emergency preparedness drill. Callie takes Henry to a veteran's hospital, where she delivers library books to soldiers recovering from amputations (and likely worse). Henry is visibly scared at the sight of these guys, not much older than he is, who will now go through life with a new, horrific perspective.

After the visit, Henry becomes angry with Callie. He shows her - and the audience - that bravado DOES have a place in dealing with impending terror, and that there are many ways to look at the complexities of war. At the end of the film, when both boys jump on the train that may take them to their deaths, the resilience of the human spirit goes with them, and they impart some of their courage to those left standing at the station. A classic film, with a timely message.

Penn and Cage in the early days...a MUST see!
Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage, together with Elizabeth McGovern star in this 1940's WWII film about being a young man getting ready to head off for the war and trying to find himself and deal with his fear before he goes. It's wonderfully written, with some heavy scenes that were unexpected and some very moving dialog. Love and love lost...the three of them are at their finest here!

Hard to forget and worth owning..even in VHS
This movie has been a long time favorite of mine though not available on DVD. The story is touching and a particulary poignant look at young men who were raised on patriotism and are headed off to war, a reality of which they know little.

The cinematography and actors make you long for young love and being caught in the rain and in more serious moments you feel the pain and peril of a illegal abortion and how cold and hard it is to dig a grave in Spring.

Elizabeth McGovern is hauntingly beautiful. Penn and Cage show the promise of talent we now consider legendary. On a telling note, Sean Penn's child shares the nickname of his character.

In contrast to another reviewer, I too see this film differently now then I did when I was younger. However, the "skin" and other adult themes added dimensions that expanded for me as I get older.

If you don't buy it at least rent it while you still can!

that first reviewer is wierd
no movie would satisfy that guy in the first review , he takes prude to different level , i thought the movie was good !

Funny how time changes your outlook....
Okay, I saw this movie for the first time MANY years ago when I was in my early 20's...say in 1986. I remember thinking this was such a good movie! Well, since 1990, we have had no television and watched no videos. Just recently we got a video player (still not wanting tv). I was at the library looking for the old classics (what I watch) when I ran across this movie. It made me think of how I had liked it, and I wondered if I would like it now, so I brought it home.

What I thought of it was...this is a nothing movie. Okay, maybe that's harsh, but I kept thinking, "what exactly was it that I had liked about the movie back in 1986?" for I found it boring, disturbing and sad. I did not like the bad language in it. Or the fact of the Nicholas Cage character drinking all the time. Or his inability to be kind to the girl he impregnated... The portrayal of nudity bothered me. Even bare chests on men I find inappropriate. The love scenes I just skipped over on fast forward. I got to thinking, when will this movie end?... none of this movie really moved me, except to feel sad... I think the story had much potential to be a good story. One can tell a story very effectively and not shove all the sin in your face. After viewing this... for some reason it made me feel sad, and it was also upsetting to witness the nudity etc. From now on I will stick to the old classics, and leave the modern movies I thought I liked, just memories in my past. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

A Valentine to New York
Alan Swann: Alfredo, telephone the Stork Club, we'll be two for dinner. Alfi: You sure you want the Stork Club, Mr. Swann? Alan Swann: It's been a year and a half. Surely they've repaired the wall of the bandstand by now. Former actor Richard Benjamin's near classic comedy "My Favorite Year" opens on 50th Street and Broadway in the Manhattan of 1954. Summer sunshine glistens off a new Oldsmobile. Fading, dissolute matinee idol Alan Swann is about to appear in his first live television program. Or will He? Peter O'Toole stars as movie swashbuckler Alan Swann( a thin impersonation of Errol Flynn). O'Toole verifies the comedic spark first seen in 1965's "What's New Pussycat?". A talented cast includes Mark Linn-Baker, Bill Macy, Lainie Kazan, and Cameron Mitchell. Film-within-a-film flashbacks reveal scenes from O'Toole's "Lord Jim". The director's penchant for long, theatrical episodes produces a slow but studied pace. Don't worry. The effect is marvelous. This brand new widescreen anamorphic 1.85:1 DVD of "My Favorite Year" is a stately Warners release. The digital transfer reveals some sloppy mattes around the actors' heads in the firehose balcony sequence. But by then, you'll be laughing so hard you won't even notice. The DVD includes generous chapter stops, a trailer, and splendid audio commentary by Benjamin, as he defines the dangers and head-aches of directing an MGM movie. In "My Favorite Year", veteran Gloria Stuart has a small non-speaking bit part. 20 years later, in a larger role, Stuart played Old Rose in a much more famous film tragedy set in 1912. It was the resonant epic about a ship that could not float.

"Double the lad's bet for me, you toad!"
"My Favorite Year is one of my favorite movies. Set in 1954, it's about an aging movie idol, Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), who is to make a guest appearance on a television variety show hosted by King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). However, it turns out that Swann is a libidinous lush, and the freshman writer for the show, Benjie Stone (formerly Steinberg, played by Mark Linn-Baker), is assigned to stay with him--and keep him sober and out of trouble--until after the show. The rest of the movie concerns their adventures together. The film overflows with one-liners and physical comedy, all of which stays remarkably fresh and amusing, even after repeated viewings. The script produces some classic lines; for example, during a take-out feast in which Stone is trying to woo the object of his lust (K.C. Downing, played by Jessica Harper), she comments that he really knows his dim sum. He replies, "Katherine, Jews know two things: suffering and where to find great Chinese food." The DVD also has an informative voice-over commentary by Richard Benjamin, whose first directing job was this film.

One Of My Favorite Films !
I would have to place this into my top ten favorite films of all times. It's a rather unknown delightful comedy that should not be missed by any movie fan. Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker and the rest of the cast are perfect in their rolls. You will not be sorry renting or buying this DVD.

How great is this movie?
I'll tell you. This movie is so great that I was able to rent it and entertain my GRANDPARENTS for an entire evening. I discovered it right after it was released because it was at the same time we got cable. (Man, were WE behind the times!) This movie has it all; a great cast, scads of great one-liners, and best of all, you can pull it out and show it knowing that most people have never heard of it.

O'Toole Dazzling in Wonderful in 'Golden Age' Homage!
Have you ever watched a film and wished it wouldn't end? Where you loved all the characters, adored each scene, and laughed at every joke, even after you'd seen the film so many times that you could quote the dialog? MY FAVORITE YEAR is that kind of movie!

Directed with gusto by Richard Benjamin, the film is both a loving tribute to Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Show', and the remarkable talents that brought it together each week, and a sincere homage to Errol Flynn, whose antics and larger-than-life persona, in the waning years of his life, still had the kind of magic that could enthrall a shy young fan, or make a woman swoon.

Three dynamic performances dominate the film. Mark Linn-Baker, as Benjy Stone, based on the young Mel Brooks, is a shy kid who hides his insecurities behind a rapid-fire wit. The dazzling young star in a staff of comedy 'pros', Stone suffers from an unrequited love from fellow staffer K. C. Downing (Jessica Harper), and has an inspiration, inviting legendary swashbuckler Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) to appear on the show. As King Kaiser, star of the hit series, Joseph Bologna captures much of Sid Caesar's legendary physical 'presence' and irreverence to authority. When threatened by gangsters over a 'too close to home' series of parodies about crime boss Karl Rojeck (portrayed with brute menace by veteran actor Cameron Mitchell), Kaiser 'thumbs his nose' at them, mimicking the gangster mercilessly. "I'll KEEP doing it!" he taunts. "Why? Because it's FUNNY!"

Then there is Peter O'Toole's 'Alan Swann'. With his own career a roller coaster ride of alcoholism, resulting in the near destruction of his health, no actor could have 'channeled' Errol Flynn better. Just as Flynn, by the 1950s, was a nearly burned-out roue, his classic good looks long gone, O'Toole's matinee-idol appearance, after years of self-abuse, had aged into a gaunt mask, making Benji Stone's film montage of 'classic' clips more poignant. What Flynn still had, in abundance, was charm and a ready wit, and O'Toole's 'Swann' is so enchanting a personality that you can't help but love him, and root for him to succeed.

From the opening nostalgic strains of Nat King Cole's rendition of 'Stardust', through Benjy's futile effort to attempt to keep Swann sober (Red Skelton loved to tell how he kept Flynn sober on his program...he emptied all of the actor's bottles of vodka, replacing it with water...and Flynn couldn't tell the difference!), to a riotous Swann dinner with Benjy's family, to the near-disastrous broadcast, with Swann developing stage fright, and Kaiser brawling with mob enforcers...MY FAVORITE YEAR has one glorious scene after another, each unforgettable!

One of the AFI's '100 Greatest Film Comedies', MY FAVORITE YEAR will bring a tear to your eye, even as you laugh. It was a time of legends, and heroes who would live up to boyhood dreams.

Film comedy doesn't get any better than this! ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Classic, Classic Tom Hanks
My wife and I have seen this movie MANY times and we laugh harder each time we see it. This movie must be a cult classic, mainly because if we act out a piece of a scene or speak a line from it (as we often do) many people are 'in' on the joke having seen it repeatedly themselves. Alexander Gudenov really steals the scenes that he's in portraying Shelly Long's ex-husband/Symphony conductor. I love it when he admonishes the orchestra at lunchtime after a lackluster rehearsal and tells the members to '...go stuff yourselves, I hope you choke!' (in that wonderful accent).
I highly reccommend this film to anyone, especially if you own a house. Those laughing the loudest will have had home repair experience I'm sure. Tom Hanks at his funniest. You won't be dissapointed!

Favorite moments:

bathtub scene (with pop-up thermometer in the turkey)
raccoon scene
The Shirk brothers contractors
All of the Alexander Gudenov scenes
'The Cheap Girls' band
borrowing money from 'Benny'
Hanks and Long fighting in front of the contractors

.....the list goes on......

Simply too funny
"The Money Pit" may have been a disaster at the box office and with critics at the time but this movie is just too hilarious. This is one of the few movies that makes me laugh until tears starts rolling down my face. My personal favorite moment is when Shelly Long finds a raccoon in the dumb waiter and it leaps at her. Seeing her running around screaming with a raccoon on her shoulder is hysterical. Of course just watching Tom Hanks' character try to fix the house is equally funny, particularly when he hears Shelly's character screaming and he runs...or tries to run up the poorly built staircase. The classic moment is when he falls into that hole and is stuck there for most of the day, missing out on an important meeting with a contractor and then seeing Shelly Long's expression when she finds him stuck in the hole. "The Money Pit" remains one of my top favorite comedies of all time as well as favorite Tom Hanks film.

home blech home!
Tom Hanks and Shelly Long star in this 1980s Steven Spielberg movie as Walter and Anna, a Manhattan couple who are unceremoniously evicted from her ex-husband's apartment and must search for new housing. They find what seems to be a steal -- a huge million-dollar mansion for next to nothing --- and move in, only to be besieged with a collapsing staircase, chocolate-brown "water", rotting wood, exploding doorbell, you name it. Probably one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen is when Tom Hanks sinks through the rug into a hole in the den floor and gets stuck.

Broke and cranky from sinking more and more resources into the money pit in which they live, Anna and Walter snipe at each other. The shady contractors they hire say they can get the job done in 2 weeks -- and continue saying that four months later.

The house may or may not get rebuilt, but will Walter and Anna survive as a couple? Being a typical 1980s comedy which paved the way for everything starring Meg Ryan for 16 years, you already know the answer. But it is still a hilarious movie to watch, depsite its predictability.

Sigh sigh
When I watched this movie for the very first time, I was 18 yold. It was and it is one of the most loved movies I ever seen in my whole life and it meant so much to me because I felt like Tom Hanks when I was rising up my new house and I seen myself in that movie with all the hard time to make the house of my and her dream nice and cozy. We did it but I miss those times.

Thanks "The money pit".

Luca

One of my all-time favorites!
Who wouldn't want to see Tom Hanks stuck in a hole in the floor? This movie is hilarious right from the start - Shelley Long and Hanks play off each other well. Well worth a few bucks to have your own copy at home! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Don't overlook this movie
Despite reviews that could be described lukewarm at best, I still saw this movie as a fan of Lisa Kudrow. I never expected to find a movie that was actually funny, with a fairly sharp satirical edge.

The movie as a whole was kind of stupid (in a good way). And if you watch this movie with lowered expectations you will enjoy this fairly diverting comedy.

Not worth seeing..
I thought this was gonna be a really funny, really good movie...but it just wasn't. Damon Wayans totally missed the mark and Lisa Kudrow just wasn't able to make it laugh. This movie you could easily skip...it's a stupid story about trying to get (an untalented) rapper to change who he is and show that he's not a threat to the kids, and Kudrow, who plays the daughter of the rich man who owns the record label that Wayans's character is associated with, just doesn't really deliver the kind of performance I thought she would. Basically this movie is something you can skip. Stupid storyline, dumb character, and not-so-good acting..

I don't know about Damon Wayans but I do love Lisa Kudrow. If you want a great, funny performance by Kudrow, check out the movie "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion", it's way better than this movie.

Damon Wayans missed the mark
I'm very happy I did not pay $8.75 to see this movie in theaters. The movie is one of those you watch when you have nothing better to do, and want to burn some brain cells. There were some moments you can't help but laugh at. Overall the movie is just okay, it's not grab your sides, and fall on the floor laugh, but there were some funny moments.

Not so good
I was really disapointed with this movie, it had some funny moments but not enough. The cast of this movie is far too talented to have participated in this project, I feel bad for them. I had to stop this movie after trying really hard to stick with it, but as soon as my gitlfriend fell asleep I lost my final bit of motivation to keep watching.

huh??
to all of you who rates this movie above a 2: apparently you havnt noticed that the film industry is saturated by black-meets-white "comedies" that are only made to make money from ignorant suckers. this movie is not funny, so dont watch it. attention film industry: STOP SELLING OUT ... Read more

Reviews (40)

A Valentine to New York
Alan Swann: Alfredo, telephone the Stork Club, we'll be two for dinner. Alfi: You sure you want the Stork Club, Mr. Swann? Alan Swann: It's been a year and a half. Surely they've repaired the wall of the bandstand by now. Former actor Richard Benjamin's near classic comedy "My Favorite Year" opens on 50th Street and Broadway in the Manhattan of 1954. Summer sunshine glistens off a new Oldsmobile. Fading, dissolute matinee idol Alan Swann is about to appear in his first live television program. Or will He? Peter O'Toole stars as movie swashbuckler Alan Swann( a thin impersonation of Errol Flynn). O'Toole verifies the comedic spark first seen in 1965's "What's New Pussycat?". A talented cast includes Mark Linn-Baker, Bill Macy, Lainie Kazan, and Cameron Mitchell. Film-within-a-film flashbacks reveal scenes from O'Toole's "Lord Jim". The director's penchant for long, theatrical episodes produces a slow but studied pace. Don't worry. The effect is marvelous. This brand new widescreen anamorphic 1.85:1 DVD of "My Favorite Year" is a stately Warners release. The digital transfer reveals some sloppy mattes around the actors' heads in the firehose balcony sequence. But by then, you'll be laughing so hard you won't even notice. The DVD includes generous chapter stops, a trailer, and splendid audio commentary by Benjamin, as he defines the dangers and head-aches of directing an MGM movie. In "My Favorite Year", veteran Gloria Stuart has a small non-speaking bit part. 20 years later, in a larger role, Stuart played Old Rose in a much more famous film tragedy set in 1912. It was the resonant epic about a ship that could not float.

"Double the lad's bet for me, you toad!"
"My Favorite Year is one of my favorite movies. Set in 1954, it's about an aging movie idol, Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), who is to make a guest appearance on a television variety show hosted by King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). However, it turns out that Swann is a libidinous lush, and the freshman writer for the show, Benjie Stone (formerly Steinberg, played by Mark Linn-Baker), is assigned to stay with him--and keep him sober and out of trouble--until after the show. The rest of the movie concerns their adventures together. The film overflows with one-liners and physical comedy, all of which stays remarkably fresh and amusing, even after repeated viewings. The script produces some classic lines; for example, during a take-out feast in which Stone is trying to woo the object of his lust (K.C. Downing, played by Jessica Harper), she comments that he really knows his dim sum. He replies, "Katherine, Jews know two things: suffering and where to find great Chinese food." The DVD also has an informative voice-over commentary by Richard Benjamin, whose first directing job was this film.

One Of My Favorite Films !
I would have to place this into my top ten favorite films of all times. It's a rather unknown delightful comedy that should not be missed by any movie fan. Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker and the rest of the cast are perfect in their rolls. You will not be sorry renting or buying this DVD.

How great is this movie?
I'll tell you. This movie is so great that I was able to rent it and entertain my GRANDPARENTS for an entire evening. I discovered it right after it was released because it was at the same time we got cable. (Man, were WE behind the times!) This movie has it all; a great cast, scads of great one-liners, and best of all, you can pull it out and show it knowing that most people have never heard of it.

O'Toole Dazzling in Wonderful in 'Golden Age' Homage!
Have you ever watched a film and wished it wouldn't end? Where you loved all the characters, adored each scene, and laughed at every joke, even after you'd seen the film so many times that you could quote the dialog? MY FAVORITE YEAR is that kind of movie!

Directed with gusto by Richard Benjamin, the film is both a loving tribute to Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Show', and the remarkable talents that brought it together each week, and a sincere homage to Errol Flynn, whose antics and larger-than-life persona, in the waning years of his life, still had the kind of magic that could enthrall a shy young fan, or make a woman swoon.

Three dynamic performances dominate the film. Mark Linn-Baker, as Benjy Stone, based on the young Mel Brooks, is a shy kid who hides his insecurities behind a rapid-fire wit. The dazzling young star in a staff of comedy 'pros', Stone suffers from an unrequited love from fellow staffer K. C. Downing (Jessica Harper), and has an inspiration, inviting legendary swashbuckler Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) to appear on the show. As King Kaiser, star of the hit series, Joseph Bologna captures much of Sid Caesar's legendary physical 'presence' and irreverence to authority. When threatened by gangsters over a 'too close to home' series of parodies about crime boss Karl Rojeck (portrayed with brute menace by veteran actor Cameron Mitchell), Kaiser 'thumbs his nose' at them, mimicking the gangster mercilessly. "I'll KEEP doing it!" he taunts. "Why? Because it's FUNNY!"

Then there is Peter O'Toole's 'Alan Swann'. With his own career a roller coaster ride of alcoholism, resulting in the near destruction of his health, no actor could have 'channeled' Errol Flynn better. Just as Flynn, by the 1950s, was a nearly burned-out roue, his classic good looks long gone, O'Toole's matinee-idol appearance, after years of self-abuse, had aged into a gaunt mask, making Benji Stone's film montage of 'classic' clips more poignant. What Flynn still had, in abundance, was charm and a ready wit, and O'Toole's 'Swann' is so enchanting a personality that you can't help but love him, and root for him to succeed.

From the opening nostalgic strains of Nat King Cole's rendition of 'Stardust', through Benjy's futile effort to attempt to keep Swann sober (Red Skelton loved to tell how he kept Flynn sober on his program...he emptied all of the actor's bottles of vodka, replacing it with water...and Flynn couldn't tell the difference!), to a riotous Swann dinner with Benjy's family, to the near-disastrous broadcast, with Swann developing stage fright, and Kaiser brawling with mob enforcers...MY FAVORITE YEAR has one glorious scene after another, each unforgettable!

One of the AFI's '100 Greatest Film Comedies', MY FAVORITE YEAR will bring a tear to your eye, even as you laugh. It was a time of legends, and heroes who would live up to boyhood dreams.

Film comedy doesn't get any better than this! ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Screwball Romance
I want to be adopted by Shirley MacLaine and her butler Paco. Based on a case of mistaken identity following a train wreck; a young, homeless woman has a baby and is taken in by a wealthy family who believe her to be their daughter-in-law. She meets her putative brother-in-law, who suspects she is not who she claims to be and they fall in love. Although he discovers her real identity, he pretends to believe her story in an effort to be sure that she doesn't leave. The movie is fun to watch, very romantic...there is a tango scene which Brendan Fraser fans run over and over again. He plays a snobbish, bright and ironic young man who has ended up holding the bag as the responsible member of his rich family. Shirley MacLaine is brilliant as the mother, and Ricki Lake does a reasonably good job as a Cinderella candidate. The film could have benefited from a few extra scenes to clarify Bill's attraction to Patricia, but is a fun romance/comedy with a happy ending.

An imposter who finds love despite her deceit!
Shirley MacLaine makes the perfect supposed mother-in-law and is the original Mrs. Winterbourne. Her son and daughter-in-law meet up with a very pregnant Connie on a train and soon after Connie tries on Hugh's wife's wedding ring, the train crashes.

Since Connie (Ricki Lake) is the one wearing the ring, everyone assumes she is the wife. Every time she tries to explain, she holds back the truth. The idea of being taken care of by this wealthy family intrigues her. Hugh's mother is such a doting grandmother and Connie isn't sure how she can tell them that she and the baby are really imposters.

Connie's history could destroy the very proper Winterbourne family. Her ex-boyfriend Steve knows he has a son and plots to blackmail her.

Brendan Frasier is so dashingly handsome in this one! Although he has the ability to span the acting scale, I think he is best in this role. He plays both Hugh and Hugh's brother. I enjoyed the plot, contrasts, and romance. Destiny waits for Connie just as her mother said it would, she just never imagines it could happen under such strange circumstances.

A fun movie that moves along at a pleasant pace. It seems Tony Robbins is right: "The future will be exactly what we decide it will be." Well, at least that is what he says at the beginning of this movie.

Beware--New DVD is pan & scan only
Please be aware that Columbia recently "revised" this DVD. The prior DVD had both widescreen and pan & scan on the disc. This new version has only pan & scan. How's that for progress! Thanks Columbia!

Amazon's technical details still show widescreen, which they had told me they would correct after shipping me two copies to try and get me the widescreen version they were supposedly selling. It's a great thing that Amazon is understanding about these things.

great movie with a twisting plot
I really love the movie because of the great atmosphere it has and all those charismatic actors (I do think Rikki Lake did a great job too).
Especially the end was great and resolved in a satisfying way. The only thing I don't understand at all (besides the fact that the real Patricia Winterbourne seemed to be travelling without a passport or any document that could identify her) is why does Grace state she killed Steve, although she did not know who Steve was, nor what Patricia (aka Connie) had to do with him?
It was just so irrational to do that.

All in all a great movie with a few weak points in the script.

Painful
Ricki Lake is horribly miscast in this movie.
She is also a really bad actress.
I'm sure Brendan Fraser would fall for Ricki - right?
There are bad movies and then there are baaaaaad movies.
This one truly is a standout stinker! ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Screwball Romance
I want to be adopted by Shirley MacLaine and her butler Paco. Based on a case of mistaken identity following a train wreck; a young, homeless woman has a baby and is taken in by a wealthy family who believe her to be their daughter-in-law. She meets her putative brother-in-law, who suspects she is not who she claims to be and they fall in love. Although he discovers her real identity, he pretends to believe her story in an effort to be sure that she doesn't leave. The movie is fun to watch, very romantic...there is a tango scene which Brendan Fraser fans run over and over again. He plays a snobbish, bright and ironic young man who has ended up holding the bag as the responsible member of his rich family. Shirley MacLaine is brilliant as the mother, and Ricki Lake does a reasonably good job as a Cinderella candidate. The film could have benefited from a few extra scenes to clarify Bill's attraction to Patricia, but is a fun romance/comedy with a happy ending.

An imposter who finds love despite her deceit!
Shirley MacLaine makes the perfect supposed mother-in-law and is the original Mrs. Winterbourne. Her son and daughter-in-law meet up with a very pregnant Connie on a train and soon after Connie tries on Hugh's wife's wedding ring, the train crashes.

Since Connie (Ricki Lake) is the one wearing the ring, everyone assumes she is the wife. Every time she tries to explain, she holds back the truth. The idea of being taken care of by this wealthy family intrigues her. Hugh's mother is such a doting grandmother and Connie isn't sure how she can tell them that she and the baby are really imposters.

Connie's history could destroy the very proper Winterbourne family. Her ex-boyfriend Steve knows he has a son and plots to blackmail her.

Brendan Frasier is so dashingly handsome in this one! Although he has the ability to span the acting scale, I think he is best in this role. He plays both Hugh and Hugh's brother. I enjoyed the plot, contrasts, and romance. Destiny waits for Connie just as her mother said it would, she just never imagines it could happen under such strange circumstances.

A fun movie that moves along at a pleasant pace. It seems Tony Robbins is right: "The future will be exactly what we decide it will be." Well, at least that is what he says at the beginning of this movie.

Beware--New DVD is pan & scan only
Please be aware that Columbia recently "revised" this DVD. The prior DVD had both widescreen and pan & scan on the disc. This new version has only pan & scan. How's that for progress! Thanks Columbia!

Amazon's technical details still show widescreen, which they had told me they would correct after shipping me two copies to try and get me the widescreen version they were supposedly selling. It's a great thing that Amazon is understanding about these things.

great movie with a twisting plot
I really love the movie because of the great atmosphere it has and all those charismatic actors (I do think Rikki Lake did a great job too).
Especially the end was great and resolved in a satisfying way. The only thing I don't understand at all (besides the fact that the real Patricia Winterbourne seemed to be travelling without a passport or any document that could identify her) is why does Grace state she killed Steve, although she did not know who Steve was, nor what Patricia (aka Connie) had to do with him?
It was just so irrational to do that.

All in all a great movie with a few weak points in the script.

Painful
Ricki Lake is horribly miscast in this movie.
She is also a really bad actress.
I'm sure Brendan Fraser would fall for Ricki - right?
There are bad movies and then there are baaaaaad movies.
This one truly is a standout stinker! ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Brilliantly on target
It is well-known that when it comes to procurement, the Department of Defense does not usually put a priority on such incidentals as whether the item actually works. DOD history is cluttered with such gold-plated duds as the Sergeant York gun and the infamous $7600 coffeemaker. "The Pentagon Wars," a made-for-cable film originally aired on HBO, is a devastatingly satirical -- and true -- look at one such boondoggle, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Col. James Burton (Cary Elwes) is a by-the-books Air Force officer who is given the job of making sure the Bradley is effective and ready for use. He quickly learns that the vehicle is a Frankenstein's monster, designed by committee and unable to do any of the tasks it was meant for, but which is being built anyway. In his attempts to adequately test the vehicle, Burton is up against Gen. Partridge (Kelsey Grammer), who is determined to get the Bradley into production no matter what. After all, it has been 17 years in design, with $14 billion already spent on it. Who cares whether it works or not? Burton does, actually, and is equally determined to make sure the Bradley actually works before he signs off on it, an attitude which does not earn him plaudits from Partridge. Running interference are Col. Bock and Maj. Sayers (John C. McGinley and Tom Wright), who sabotage every one of Burton's tests with darkly hilarious results.

(The buy-it-now-and-test-it-later culture is, unfortunately, alive and well in the Pentagon even today. No better illustration exists than the $50 billion -- pre-cost overruns -- National Missile Defense, now in production despite failing most tests and passing a few only under grossly rigged test conditions.)

"The Pentagon Wars" is a darkly gleeful look at the government weapons procurement culture. Pick it up if you get a chance.

All too true in the military
When I first saw this movie on HBO my jaw just hit the floor like a bowling ball. I was just an aspiring Private in the Army and in the Infantry working directly with the Bradley Vehicle no less and to see this sort of thing going on in Washington made me think twice about what I was doing and who I was working with. Can't believe that if it wasn't for this Air Force Col., casualties in the Gulf War would have been higher. The movie is great and I recommend that everyone should see it, have a good laugh and thank those soldiers who risk their lives not only against a possible enemy but with the equipment they work with.

Funny, but not accurate
No question there were alot of funny moments in this film based on the book by Col. Burton but as you can easily guess, if it's an HBO film, there will be more fiction than fact.

Here's some info from a military analyst who saw the film:

"1) How accurate was the movie?

Not at all. I was driven to take notes after the first few minutes and got over sixty substantive errors. The producers took Col. Burton's simplistic but compelling memoir, dumbed it down, took dramatic licence with a lot of things that didn't need it, goofed around with the chronology, and apparently had a head-on collision with an office full of libel lawyers who demanded even more blurring than there already was. The
result is a mockery both of the very real issues surrounding the Bradley and of Burton's very genuine display of moral courage.

I'd say it was also a piss-poor excuse for a comedy, but I'm a military historian, not a movie critic.

2) What were the actual problems with the Bradley and how were they resolved?

Most of the actual problems with the Bradley - aside from mechanical teething problems that any armored vehicle has - arose from the fact that no one really had a clear idea of what an infantry fighting vehicle was supposed to do at the time the project was started in 1964 - it wasn't even called that at the time; all that was really clear was that current armored personnel carriers and armored infantry doctrine weren't going to be well-suited to the armor-rich, artillery-rich, and likely nuclear/biological/chemical battlefield environment expected in a putative European war versus the Warsaw Pact.

This uncertainty led to incredible amounts of bureaucratic muddle and intraservice chest-thumping within the Army - the movie version of _The Pentagon Wars_ at least manages to get a little of that across, in spirit, anyway - and kept the project on the back burner all through Vietnam, when the Army wasn't paying a lot of attention to mechanized infantry issues
anyway. This problem was exacerbated by a parallel muddle on the armor side of the service, which had repeatedly failed to field a satisfactory vehicle for its armored cavalry units.

By this time (~1975) both branches were faced with block obsolescence of their existing vehicles, so they had to meld their requirements into what was essentially a single vehicle, which became the Bradley. Incorporating all the necessary capabilities into a single chassis that had originally
been built to tight dimensional limits due to rather questionable airportability concerns and an equally questionable requirement for amphibious capability required a lot of tradeoffs that didn't satisfy purists very much.

How were these problems dealt with? A number of ways. Some of them were doctrinal: the Army looked for ways to exploit the capabilities of the vehicle and nurse its limitations. Some were technological: in particular, various survivability enhancements were added at a cost in weight and money. Some were simply bureaucratically defined out of existence. How successful these measures has been is still the subject of debate, some of it in this very newsgroup; see Deja News for
details.

For that matter you can also see W. Blair Haworth, Jr., _The Bradley and how it got that way: mechanized infantry organization and equipment in the U.S. Army_ (unpub diss, Duke University, 1995; available through UMI)

3) Did any Bradley's sustain hits from enemy fire in the Gulf war and how did they and the crew survive those hits?

It's a hard question to answer meaningfully; BFVs of various marks served in the theater, and a good number were hit in combat, often by weapons and at aspects that wouldn't be survivable by main battle tanks - Bradleys took more friendly fire than any other vehicle type. In general, they stood up to what they were designed to stand up to; the debate is still whether the design requirements were appropriate."

Lastly, anyone that would try and draw a correlation between the BFV and a national missile defense system would find themselves comparing apples to oranges since we had an accurate and functional ABM system for a number of years until eliminated by the ABM treaty.

NO DVD?!!
HBO Better get the act together and come up with a dvd real soon, i'm not impressed with them at all. Well enough of that now, great film and Kelsey Grammer and company did a fine job here. So get the movie. DON'T WASTE YOU TIME TRYING TO FIND IT ON DVD!

It would be very funny if it were not based on a true story
The acting is great and the storyline funny and sad at the same time. Viola Davis, my favorite actress, is great as usual. I recommend the film. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Screwball Romance
I want to be adopted by Shirley MacLaine and her butler Paco. Based on a case of mistaken identity following a train wreck; a young, homeless woman has a baby and is taken in by a wealthy family who believe her to be their daughter-in-law. She meets her putative brother-in-law, who suspects she is not who she claims to be and they fall in love. Although he discovers her real identity, he pretends to believe her story in an effort to be sure that she doesn't leave. The movie is fun to watch, very romantic...there is a tango scene which Brendan Fraser fans run over and over again. He plays a snobbish, bright and ironic young man who has ended up holding the bag as the responsible member of his rich family. Shirley MacLaine is brilliant as the mother, and Ricki Lake does a reasonably good job as a Cinderella candidate. The film could have benefited from a few extra scenes to clarify Bill's attraction to Patricia, but is a fun romance/comedy with a happy ending.

An imposter who finds love despite her deceit!
Shirley MacLaine makes the perfect supposed mother-in-law and is the original Mrs. Winterbourne. Her son and daughter-in-law meet up with a very pregnant Connie on a train and soon after Connie tries on Hugh's wife's wedding ring, the train crashes.

Since Connie (Ricki Lake) is the one wearing the ring, everyone assumes she is the wife. Every time she tries to explain, she holds back the truth. The idea of being taken care of by this wealthy family intrigues her. Hugh's mother is such a doting grandmother and Connie isn't sure how she can tell them that she and the baby are really imposters.

Connie's history could destroy the very proper Winterbourne family. Her ex-boyfriend Steve knows he has a son and plots to blackmail her.

Brendan Frasier is so dashingly handsome in this one! Although he has the ability to span the acting scale, I think he is best in this role. He plays both Hugh and Hugh's brother. I enjoyed the plot, contrasts, and romance. Destiny waits for Connie just as her mother said it would, she just never imagines it could happen under such strange circumstances.

A fun movie that moves along at a pleasant pace. It seems Tony Robbins is right: "The future will be exactly what we decide it will be." Well, at least that is what he says at the beginning of this movie.

Beware--New DVD is pan & scan only
Please be aware that Columbia recently "revised" this DVD. The prior DVD had both widescreen and pan & scan on the disc. This new version has only pan & scan. How's that for progress! Thanks Columbia!

Amazon's technical details still show widescreen, which they had told me they would correct after shipping me two copies to try and get me the widescreen version they were supposedly selling. It's a great thing that Amazon is understanding about these things.

great movie with a twisting plot
I really love the movie because of the great atmosphere it has and all those charismatic actors (I do think Rikki Lake did a great job too).
Especially the end was great and resolved in a satisfying way. The only thing I don't understand at all (besides the fact that the real Patricia Winterbourne seemed to be travelling without a passport or any document that could identify her) is why does Grace state she killed Steve, although she did not know who Steve was, nor what Patricia (aka Connie) had to do with him?
It was just so irrational to do that.

All in all a great movie with a few weak points in the script.

Painful
Ricki Lake is horribly miscast in this movie.
She is also a really bad actress.
I'm sure Brendan Fraser would fall for Ricki - right?
There are bad movies and then there are baaaaaad movies.
This one truly is a standout stinker! ... Read more