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.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

tavm After a little more than thirty years, I once again watched Under the Rainbow, another of Chevy Chase's early starring features after leaving "Saturday Night Live". This time he's a secret service agent guarding a duke and duchess on a trip to America during a pre-production of "The Wizard of Oz" of which Carrie Fisher is in charge of handling the little people cast who are also staying at the Hotel Rainbow. To tell the truth, it wasn't very funny then and while I discovered a few more punchlines and gags to be amused by, it's still not that much funny now. It's even a little tasteless what with all the innocent Japanese tourists that accidentally get killed in the chaos. The fact that, like the classic movie that starred Judy Garland, it all turned out to be a dream by one of those "Munchkins" doesn't excuse any of it. Such familiar comic players like Eve Arden and Billy Barty are mostly wasted here though Barty made a pretty good villain here. Seeing Ms. Fisher being stripped was also good eye candy here, I have to admit. But it all was mostly pretty routine and boring so on that note, I'd only recommend Under the Rainbow for the curious and nothing more.

lost-in-limbo As for a Chevy Chase vehicle (and I remember this being my first encounter of his work in films and still a favourite), it's not much of one, but I still don't get the negativity towards this extravagantly wacky period comedy enterprise. I love Chevy Chase (and most of his films), but here he goes about things in kind of a laid back manner with everything else soon rising head over heels with its madcap humor and zany visuals. Truly there's so much going on (plenty of episodic sub-plots for the fodder), making it very unforeseeable with the style of 'Under the Rainbow' being very old-fashioned, but amusingly daring and erratically insane in its lack of respect for correctness. It looks cheap (but from my understanding it wasn't), but has a grand feel to it.The story sets up the events of 1938, when a major studio with plans to make a fantasy film called 'Wizard Of Oz', assembles 150 midgets to play munchkins and book them into the Culver Hotel… only to find that there reservations were lost and leaves their talent coordinator Annie Clark (a completely delightful Carrie Fisher) with a headache. Also at the hotel is an American secret Agent Bruce Thorpe (smoothly played by Chase) looking after two international guests the Duke (a terrific Joseph Maher) and Duchess (a perfectly airy Eve Arden) with an assassin (A fidgety Robert Donner) close behind. No it's over yet, because a very miniature German spy (who gets mistaken as one of the cast members) arrives at the hotel looking for a Japanese spy to hand over some very important documents, but his luck the hotel is filled with Japanese tourists. Now watch how everything raucously mingles together. Nothing is safe from the onslaught.There's something that's engaging about this gimmicky idea, which it caps it off rather nicely when it comes to the closing. Quite a clever touch. The cartoon-like screenplay is potent and elastic, although feels a little on the rushed side. Some of the gags do get tiredly reused, but its concentration on the eccentrically bumbling details of accidents, mischief and distractions getting out of hands and then coming together amongst a party atmosphere holds some charm. Everything falls into place… for some it might be like watching a car smash… but I liked this recklessly spontaneous fiasco.Steve Rash's busy handling is direction-less, but cheerfully staged with moments of a gliding camera working the action considerably well. The score is a bellow of dramatic sounds. The cast really do give it their all and I enjoyed watching them. Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher made for a likable pairing. A flighty Cork Hubbert is fine. Bill Barty is quite fun as the dwarf German spy and Mako as the icy Japanese spy. Adam Arkin as the fill-in hotel manager is rather fitting too. Also appearing were Richard Stahl, Phil Fondacaro and Debbie Lee Carrington.

udar55 To first hear of UNDER THE RAINBOW is to disbelieve. No, a big studio wouldn't be dumb enough to fund a spy comedy caper set against the backdrop of the filming of THE WIZARD OF OZ with 150 drunken midgets. You're pulling my leg, right? Wrong! It is real and it is terrible. It feels like every exec's 70s drug binge induced dreams were all wrapped up tightly into one project and spat out at audiences in the early 80s.In 1938, Adolf Hitler (yes, that Adolf Hitler) sends his top spy (Billy Barty!) to the US to meet up with Japan's no. 1 spy (Mako!) to deliver a map of American military targets to get the US into WWII. Unbeknownst to Barty, his rendezvous is a hotel (run by Adam Arkin) across the street from a movie lot where 150 Munchkin extras are staying. Also at the hotel are a Duke and Dutchess (Joseph Maher and Eve Arden) who are being guarded by Secret Service man Bruce Thorpe (Chevy Chase) who also has his eye on OZ midget wrangler Annie Clark (Carrie Fisher). You still with me? You shouldn't be.So how bad is this flick? Well, the opening ten minutes have Billy Barty saluting Hitler and hitting him in the crotch. Nothing like Nazi humor in 1981. Perhaps the filmmakers were influenced by the "success" of Spielberg's 1941? And who exactly is this made for? The reliance on slapstick, dogs and midgets would suggest kids. But the midgets are all boozing it up and there is a brief sojourn through a woman's locker room. There are also some weak attempts at humor involving the Japanese. Get this...the Japanese take lots of pictures and mispronounce things! Amazingly, it took 5 writers to make a movie this unfunny (proving that DATE MOVIE isn't just an age thing). Perhaps the film's biggest copout is that, in the end, it is all just a dream of a guy who got knocked on the head a la THE WIZARD OF OZ. To the film's credit, there is one funny gag involving Tony Cox, who has since gone on to become Hollywood's leading little funnyman. Also featuring Zelda Rubenstein and Phil Fondacaro alongside his brother Sal Fondacaro (who is also a little person despite them being born years apart).

Randy G. I recently left a message for MGM, regarding a release of "Under The Rainbow" on DVD, & sent them a link to the IMDb comments about this movie.If you would like your comments heard, please visit the following MGM web page, http://www.mgm.com/help.do, and instantly let your request be known.With any luck, our comments will be forwarded to the appropriate department, & they will finally get the ball rolling on a DVD release of this cult classic.Thanks! ...Randy G. :)