Spaceballs

One line review: A lot of hit and miss jokes, but enough jokes manage to stick that you can at least enjoy the film.

Movie Title: Spaceballs

Actors: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Michael Winslow

Director: Mel Brooks

Year: 1987

Genre: Comedy

Method of Viewing: DVD

Location of Viewing: Home

Viewing with: Family

Rotten Tomatoes: 65% – Most jokes have a forced quality, but there’s something gleefully self-aware about them, like the vaudeville comedian whose act consists of telling bad jokes and laughing at them, but doing it all with exquisite timing.

My rating: ***

My assessment (the first 101 words at least): This won’t be a movie I hold in such high regard, but at least it was funny sometimes. The jokes come at you one moment after the other: some set up, some sight gags, some hidden jokes, all thrown at the audience at random. Part of the reason I didn’t think much higher of this movie is because it seemed to shift from one joke to another without giving the audience time to think. Still, the movie avoids getting too annoying, has some rather clever observations and jokes, so it overall comes off as an enjoyable, if a bit strange, movie.