(Credit:Amazon.com)
Directed by
Gene Wilder
Cast:
Gene Wilder …. Rudy Valentine aka Rudy Hickman
Carol Kane …. Annie Hickman
Dom DeLuise …. Adolph Zitz
Fritz Feld …. Tomaso Abalone, Hotel Manager
Mark Silberman …. Cousin Buddy
Robert Ball …. Bald Man
Mews Small …. Slave Girl #2
Harriet Gibson …. Pastry Customer
Richard A. Roth …. Chico
Norbert Schiller …. Captain
Peter Elbling …. Robert Drake
Federico Roberto …. Priest
Charles Knapp …. Bakery Foreman
George Memmoli …. Truck Driver
Randolph Dobbs …. Yes Man #1
Stanley Brock …. Yes Man #2
James Hong …. Sven, Yes Man #3
Frank O’Brien …. Yes Man #4
Michael McManus …. Yes Man #5
The Movie:
Gene Wilder has been the star of some of the best comedies of all time. The actor’s collaborations with Mel Brooks, including The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein are pure genius and the man that decided to put Wilder together with Richard Pryor for Silver Streak and Stir Crazy deserves a medal. So why does anyone hardly remember Wilder in some of the films he actually wrote and directed, specifically The World’s Greatest Lover?
Well it’s not because of the film’s quality. While not being on the same level as his classics with Mel Brooks, Wilder crafted a sweet film with some genuine laughs. The story revolves around Rudy Hickman, a guy from Milwaukee that dreams about being a star. Unfortunately, he tends to dream about it while working his day job at a cake factory, which ends up getting him in trouble. He also has several nervous ticks about him, which also doesn’t help him with his employers. When he learns of a contest to find the next Rudolph Valentino, he packs up his wife, changes his name to Rudy Valentine, sells all his belongings, and they run off to Hollywood.
Wilder as an actor is as amazing as ever here. His physical comedy is simple, but effective. The actor’s everyman persona is played to the hilt, as he’s able to portray a thin façade of charm, while being completely insecure. You never feel as if Wilder is pushing too hard, ala Jim Carrey, just playing up what physical comedy he can muster.
The actor’s best scenes are with Carol Kane, who play’s Rudy’s wife Annie Hickman. Kane is also wonderful here as her poor housewife has her whole world thrown upside down by her husband’s midlife crisis. The actress is adorable and hits just the right notes for her character to be sympathetic, even when she dreams about being with the real Rudolph Valentino. Their scenes together are marvelous as Annie has a quiet desperation while Rudy obsesses about his chance at stardom. When Rudy finally realizes how much Annie really means to him, the moment is a tear-jerking wonder.
Adding to the fun is a host of Mel Brooks veterans, including Dom DeLuise, Ronny Graham, and Fritz Feld. DeLuise plays Adolph Zitz, the chairman of Rainbow Studios. This was the height of DeLuise as a performer and he’s awfully good here as a man with a manic rage towards anyone who doubts him. Ronny Graham, the hilarious priest from Spaceballs, plays a director who has a hard time saying anything other than “Cut!” and “Action!” His first scene with Wilder is pretty funny as Rudy goes for his screen-test and Graham yells “Cut…I mean…hello!” in his patented yell. Fritz Feld seems to be having a ball playing the manager of the ritzy hotel Rudy is staying at. The man has all the weird gestures and tons of scenes where he goes on and on confusing those around him with clever wordplay. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention James Hong, Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China, who is cast here as Sven, one of Zitz’s “yes men”. The actor does this hilarious Swedish accent in his few scenes, which brings this odd surrealism to the picture.
The problems arise with Wilder more as a director and screenwriter than his performance. Several sequences just seem to go on too long, and while there are moments of complete hilarity, there’s too many that fall flat. There’s even a bit of vulgarity to the film in places that seems completely out of place. The World’s Greatest Lover is just too uneven to be considered a classic, which is probably why the shelf life of the movie hasn’t been as long as Wilder’s previous films. Still, there’s a pervading tenderness in the film’s last reel that’s really wonderful.
Score: 7.0/10
The DVD:
The Video
The print here is serviceable, but not particularly great. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the print, but it doesn’t look pristine like say, The Godfather discs. The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 Widescreen.
The Audio
The Audio is also quite serviceable, but not mind blowing. The film features a soundtrack of Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary, Trailers
Audio Commentary by Star, Screenwriter, and Director Gene Wilder – This commentary is pleasant enough and has quite the sentimental tone to it. There are too many periods of silence for my taste, but Wilder has a nice time reminiscing about this period in his career.
Trailers for The World’s Greatest Lover, Silver Streak, The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, and Young Frankenstein – The best of these trailers is for Young Frankenstein, but then again it’s the best film represented also. This is a nice little gallery of Wilder’s work.
Score: 3.0/10
