Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

rockmail This movie is like a "make a wish" grant for a dying child. In this case, the producers of the Dick Van Dyke show must have felt sorry for Morey Amsterdam as they killed the last big job he'd ever have when then ended the Van Dyke series.Consider the relatively sophisticated humor coming on television at this time, much less the movie. Addams Family, Munsters, Batman, etc. All with loads of adult based double entendre humor that would make kids giggle, yet make adults think twice.And these shows used many celebrity cameos like this movie does, but the other shows understood the point of having the celebrities make fun of themselves. This movie just parades stars through like they all took numbers at the studio cafeteria and were waiting in line.I've never been a big fan of Amsterdam's version of vaudeville humor (consider the Marx brothers were from the same era and how much bawdy and funnier they were), so jamming it into a full length movie doesn't make it any better.I have a feeling that Amsterdam was a great ad-libber on the Dick Van Dyke show, and they kept him around to sweeten scripts, but he wasn't really much of a performer - Dick Van Dyke could have done the show by himself.This movie IS fun to run in the background just to see how many performers whored themselves out for a few seconds of screen time, but other than that, this movie has little entertainment value.

MartinHafer When I read the reviews for this film, I was surprised. They were bad....REALLY bad. So had that a sane person would have probably just skipped this movie. Yet, I was intrigued...a film starring the three supporting characters from "The Dick Van Dyke Show"--Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie and, at times, Richard Deacon (they don't seem sure what to do with him in the film, actually). It sounded bad but also curiously appealing---especially to a cinemanic like me. I loved these three on the show--would it be enough to carry the film? And, should I have just heeded their advice? Early on I was surprised to see Danny Thomas pop by for a cameo. This isn't THAT surprising, as he was the creator of "The Dick Van Dyke Show"--but it still caught me off guard. I then noticed that the film had the look and style of a TV show--with credits that looked identical to those used for "The Beverly Hillbillies" as well as the same filmed look.The film is a VERY broad espionage comedy--much like "The Nasty Rabbit" and "Last of the Secret Agents?"--and this is not very distinguished company. And, as a broad comedy, it's filled with one-liners coming one after another. While I loved these one-liners on their show, here there was no let-up--a case where less would have been more. In addition, such slapstick touches as playing the film backwards, Richard Deacon sitting on a cake, a spy camera in a hat, etc.--though there seemed to be a lot more of this at the beginning.It seems that Morey is the spitting image of a cosmonaut who has defected to the United States--and Soviet spies are anxious to get him. In addition, at his job in a bookstore, there seem to be all kinds of odd goings on--with people tunneling underneath and goateed spy-types coming in and out of the place. Anyone with half a brain or more would call the police...so naturally Morey and Rose Marie do nothing for quite some time. And, when they do, they investigate on their own--no police. In this basement, they find NOTHING that should be in the basement of the bookstore--such as giant stuffed gorillas and a live turtle. Did anyone THINK when they created this scene? And, for all that happens next, none of it makes a lot of sense--college parties with Maury and Rose Marie, art lectures and the rest. It looked as if the writers took every idea they had and haphazardly tossed it into the film. As a result, while the film has a few laughs here and there, it comes off as very juvenile and silly--and not in a good way. Worth watching only if you are desperate or very curious.By the way, in addition to Danny Thomas, there were tons of other cameos--Moe Howard, Forrest Tucker, Irene Ryan (driving the truck from her show) and Nick Adams. I particularly liked Reiner's cameo--it was actually pretty funny. Also, after having seen this film , I wonder if perhaps this was meant as a pilot for a TV series. After all, their show was wrapping up production and perhaps this was an attempt to hang on to the magic....a very BAD attempt.

slardea-1 This was a lost film for decades, until someone at Turner and United Artists resurrected it for a few TV showings. Apropos of all the other reviews here, unless you enjoy 60s culture as viewed by middle-aged men of the period, the movie will leave you at a loss. Morey Amsterdam, who co-wrote and produced, and Rose Marie are alternately embarrassing and silly. Morey's one-liners were dinosaurs on the vaudeville circuit and would have been rejected immediately for the Alan Brady Show. A low-budget and unfunny pastiche of bad jokes that simply painful to sit through. However, there is some amusement in seeing Richard Deacon try in vain to rise above the material. A few of the cameo roles are of historical interest. A bomb at the box office when first released in 1966, this film is best left in the vault.

JNeibaur This had a long reputation as one of the worst movies ever made, though few had actually seen it. It took me until the winter of 2007 to catch up with this one, and while by no means a good movie, it is at least an interesting one. I understand that the backstory behind this low budget production was that The Dick Van Dyke Show was wrapping up, and a few of its stars put together an independent movie. Morey Amsterdam produced, co-wrote, and starred, along with Rose Marie and Richard Deacon. As insurance, he filled his script with jokes, and filled his movie with cameos. Its plot about spies and espionage does not hold together, but now, after 40 years, the movie works on another level. The plot is dated, the stars and cameos are very much from another era of showbiz, and the jokes are of the irresistibly corny variety that have also faded into memory. So now the film is a quirky little cultural artifact of sorts. It is not good cinema, but in the wake of the Police Academy series, Dude Where's My Car, and Freddy Got Fingered, it can hardly be called among the worst movies ever made. It is offbeat, silly, dated, and, if you're in the right frame of mind, rather fun, especially if you have an interest in the era, or fond memories of it.