Brain Donors
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| Brain Donors | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Dennis Dugan |
| Produced by | Gil Netter James D. Brubaker |
| Written by | James Kevin McGuiness (story) George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind (screenplay "A Night at the Opera") Pat Proft (screenplay) |
| Starring | John Turturro Mel Smith Bob Nelson George De La Pena George Savident Spike Alexander Juliana Donald Nancy Marchand |
| Music by | Ira Newborn |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Editing by | Malcolm Campbell |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 17, 1992 (USA) |
| Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Gross revenue | $918,239 (USA) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Brain Donors (1992) is an American comedy movie released by Paramount Pictures, loosely based on the Marx Brothers comedy, A Night at the Opera. The film co-stars John Turturro, Mel Smith, and Bob Nelson in the approximations of the Groucho, Chico, and Harpo roles, with Nancy Marchand in the Margaret Dumont dowager role.
The film received very little play in theaters but, contrary to popular belief, it was not a box-office failure. The project was filmed as Lame Ducks, and Paramount was ready to promote it as the outstanding comedy of the year. However, when the film's producers (David and Jerry Zucker of Airplane! and The Naked Gun fame) left for another studio, Paramount scrapped the publicity campaign, changed the title, and withdrew the film after its initial screenings. Brain Donors, with its carefully stylized, fast-paced comedy and witty dialogue, made enough of a critical splash during its limited run to attract attention on the home video market, which has resulted in a cult following.
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[edit] Plot
After the death of tycoon and philanthropist Oscar Winterhaven Oglethorpe, a ballet company is founded in his name by his widow, Lillian (Nancy Marchand). The formation of the ballet company leads to personal injury attorney Roland T. Flakfizer (John Turturro) vying against Oglethorpe's former attorney Edmund Lazlo (John Savident) to be director of the company. Lazlo is chosen to be director of the company after signing the greatest ballet dancer in the world, "The Great Volare" (George de la Pena) to dance for the company. Flakfizer, however — with assistance from his two associates Rocco (Mel Smith) and Jacques (Bob Nelson) — earns a spot as co-director by wooing the wealthy widow and by signing the company's leading ballerina (Juliana Donald). The ensuing struggle between Flakfizer and Lazlo leads to comic hijinks, including a comically sabotaged ballet performance.
[edit] Cast and characters
John Turturro as Roland T. Flakfizer
Bob Nelson as Jacques
Mel Smith ... Rocco Melonchek
George de la Pena as Roberto Volare
John Savident as Edmund Lazlo
Nancy Marchand as Lillian Oglethorpe
[edit] Reaction
Richard Harrington in his review for the Washington Post wrote, "It's all very busy, and in Zucker style there seem to be 10 jokes per minute, but most fly fast and fall flat."[1] Mick LaSalle's review for the San Francisco Chronicle felt that the film was "an audacious attempt actually to make them like they used to - with no apologies, no nostalgia. It's no masterpiece, but neither was every Marx Brothers movie."[2] In her review for the New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "Brain Donors will stop at very little to get its laughs, and Mr. Turturro has just the right silliness for the occasion."[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Harrington, Richard. "Lamebrained Donors", Washington Post, April 18, 1992.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick. "Donors Right on the Marx", San Francisco Chronicle, April 18, 1992.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. "A Night At the Ballet Run Amok", New York Times, April 18, 1992.
[edit] External links
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