Alicia I love this movie so much

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

classicsoncall Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman and Madeline Kahn all appeared in one of my all time favorite comedy films but this wasn't the one. Actually, this picture looks like it was trying to borrow heavily from "Young Frankenstein" but with just a bit too much slapstick humor and infantile behavior to suit my own personal taste. That's not to say that there weren't some genuinely funny bits; for example Professor Moriarty's (Leo McKern) exchange rate fiasco trying to sell the Redcliff Document just cracked me up. The 'Red Herrings Daily' sight gag on the street vendor sandwich board was also pretty clever, that's the kind of stuff that I like to catch in a parody flick. Madeline Kahn's Jenny Hill reminded me a bit of the Mary Astor character in "The Maltese Falcon", enough so that it seemed like a subliminal tribute to the Bogart film. However when you have all the players hamming it up as much as possible and then throw Dom DeLuise into the mix, well then you're just asking for an 'over the top' that I sometimes find hard to take. For Sherlock Holmes fans though, this might be just the ticket if you're looking for a light hearted treatment of the famous fictional detective. Then you can return to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce to solve a real mystery.

Neil Doyle Gene Wilder's attempt to do what he did for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN doesn't quite work this time around. Not that the cast isn't as talented as ever, including the wonderfully droll Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman for whom Wilder has written roles ideally suiting them.But the gags that come fast and furious provide chuckles now and then, not the side-splitting laughter intended. Fans of Wilder will no doubt appreciate much of the crazy humor, but it all begins to wear a bit thin by the time we reach the third act.There's some clever humor with lyrics of songs that the actors often burst into in the midst of reciting their foolish dialog, and most adept at this sort of thing is Madeline Kahn who turns the film's topsy-turvy plot up a notch merely by her presence on the screen. She's enchanting, giving herself fake identities at the drop of a hat and forcing Wilder to call her "Miss Liar" several times.But the subplot involving Dr. Moriarty, played with comic relish by Leo McKern, is extremely foolish and played for low comedy to such an extent that it becomes merely tolerable. And Dom DeLuise's attempt at playing an Italian opera singer comes across as rather lame, including his Italian accent.Definitely not a film for everyone, but fans of Gene Wilder will no doubt overlook the shortcomings. The film has been impressively mounted and handsomely photographed in Technicolor with the visual look of Victorian London on full display.

foxwood9 i had never seen user reviews for "Smarter Brother" previously and i was amazed at the number of viewers who seemed to have so much to criticize in the very funny film. some people, when reviewing a film seem to treat it like an artichoke, pulling it apart until there is nothing left. if i enjoy a film and can watch it over and over is my only criteria. DID I ENJOY IT? you bet! i have seem this movie many times and i always find it enjoyable and funny. without out going into the plot and cast members, this happens to be a very funny Sherlock Holmes parody. there is a Dudley Moore/Peter Cook send-up of a classic Holmes tale also available. while that film has some funny moments, Gene Wilder's Smarter Brother is funny all the way through. to really enjoy the film, i suggest you see it and then decide just how enjoyable and funny it is. if all else fails, you can always dance the Kangaroo Hop.by the way, be on the look out for the cameo by Albert Finney. you must be fast, as he just pops in and out with no prolonged closeup.

ppuhak Definitely an underrated film. One of my favorite scenes is where Professor Moriarty is having everyone bid for the letter and his assistant is eating from the bowl of potato chips and finally makes his assistant spit out the potato chips because they are for company. The scene with Gene Wilder and the ambassador where he is attempting to hide the fact that we eating the box of chocolates was hilarious. I would like to know if any of the songs from the movie are original to the movie or are they just old songs. They sound as if they could have been written years ago. I have seen this movie on cable and sometimes they edit some of the funny lines.