This review contains *minor* spoilers.
OK... So this isn't young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles, but overall, it's a pretty funny Mel Brooks Movie. It is a send up of Robin Hood movies in general, but specifically "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" in the same way that "Spaceballs" was a sendup of the Star Wars movies.
We get the usual Brooks schtick here.... Jewish jokes, (Brooks doing a cameo as "Rabbi Tuchman", Richard Lewis muttering "Trafe" when Robin drops a pig on the table)("Trafe" is a yiddish word for something that is non-kosher) , references to (then) current events and movies, (Dave Chappelle in his movie debut, being roughed up by the royal guard, and saying... "I hope someone is making a video of this", and the archer aiming at Robin from "Ye olde folio depository.) There's even a tribute to "Blazing Saddles", but I won't give that one away. (One other thing..... Only Mel Brooks could find a way to fit a "Malcom X" reference into a Robin Hood Movie.)
There's Brooks standard breaking of the "4th wall", (cameramen and crew obviously visible and part of the movie), and Robin announcing.... "Prepare for the fight scene." AND, there's even a big slap in the puss to Kevin Costner when Elwes says.... "Unlike other Robin Hoods, *I* can speak with an English accent." (Trivia note: Out of all the actors who have played Robin Hood, Elwes is the only British actor to do so.)
The musical numbers are fun, (We're men, (MANLY MEN!), we're men in tights....... We roam around theforest looking for fights.......) and even though the movie is a bit dated now, (it came out in 1993), it still has enough humor to hold one's interest. Sure, some of the jokes are going to be clinkers, (lend me your ears!!!) but overall, the movie holds up well. The movie recently came out in DVD as a Mel Brooks box set. One can only hope that it will come out as a single DVD soon, hopefully with some great extras. It's not a Brooks classic, but it's one that I really enjoy.
OK... So this isn't young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles, but overall, it's a pretty funny Mel Brooks Movie. It is a send up of Robin Hood movies in general, but specifically "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" in the same way that "Spaceballs" was a sendup of the Star Wars movies.
We get the usual Brooks schtick here.... Jewish jokes, (Brooks doing a cameo as "Rabbi Tuchman", Richard Lewis muttering "Trafe" when Robin drops a pig on the table)("Trafe" is a yiddish word for something that is non-kosher) , references to (then) current events and movies, (Dave Chappelle in his movie debut, being roughed up by the royal guard, and saying... "I hope someone is making a video of this", and the archer aiming at Robin from "Ye olde folio depository.) There's even a tribute to "Blazing Saddles", but I won't give that one away. (One other thing..... Only Mel Brooks could find a way to fit a "Malcom X" reference into a Robin Hood Movie.)
There's Brooks standard breaking of the "4th wall", (cameramen and crew obviously visible and part of the movie), and Robin announcing.... "Prepare for the fight scene." AND, there's even a big slap in the puss to Kevin Costner when Elwes says.... "Unlike other Robin Hoods, *I* can speak with an English accent." (Trivia note: Out of all the actors who have played Robin Hood, Elwes is the only British actor to do so.)
The musical numbers are fun, (We're men, (MANLY MEN!), we're men in tights....... We roam around theforest looking for fights.......) and even though the movie is a bit dated now, (it came out in 1993), it still has enough humor to hold one's interest. Sure, some of the jokes are going to be clinkers, (lend me your ears!!!) but overall, the movie holds up well. The movie recently came out in DVD as a Mel Brooks box set. One can only hope that it will come out as a single DVD soon, hopefully with some great extras. It's not a Brooks classic, but it's one that I really enjoy.