Film 38: Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Directed by: Mel Brooks
Written by: Mel Brooks, Evan Chandler, J. D. Shapiro
Starring: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees

I mentioned in my last review that I love Cary Elwes, which is precisely why I was motivated to watch another movie with him after seeing him in Saw 3D. It helps that I also love Mel Brooks. While they don't make a perfect combination here, this movie certainly worth a laugh or two.

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*

The story is the same basic tale of Robin Hood, but played entirely as a spoof. Robin of Loxley has returned from the crusades to find his family estate has been re-possessed by the evil Prince John, so he becomes a thief, etc.

The jokes are hit or miss here, sometimes so niche that I wasn't sure who the jokes were for. Usually even if I don't something funny, I can see why someone would laugh at it, but some of the humour used here had me asking myself "who is this for?" without being able to come up with an answer. The story getting told before it happens in the form of five black men mixing hip-hop and folk music just ends up feeling random. The film has plenty of anachronistic moments used to make a joke, such as bike locks on horses, but this one in particular seemed pointless. There's also an unfortunate number of jokes that act as nothing more than a reference to another film, and they mix even those; a Dirty Harry character reference and a Godfather reference together, yet neither of them actually play off each other, they just appear in the same shot for simple recognition.

That said, there's a broad variety here. Some light cleverness that only adds a little to the films' farcical nature, such as Prince John's mole changing place on his face in every scene. Plenty of 4th-wall breaks and jabs at other Robin Hood films, including Cary Elwes' Robin looking straight at the camera and saying 'unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent', as a dig at Kevin Costner's portrayal of the character in the 1991 film. My personal favourite joke is when Robin loses the archery contest, and calls upon the writers to hand him a script so that he can check, because he's sure he's supposed to win.

Elwes is silly and charming, just as you'd expect if you've seen him in The Princess Bride (which you should; seriously, go watch it now if you haven't already). He's certainly what kept me enjoying the movie even when the jokes fell flat. Lewis and Rees are also excellent in their roles as Prince John and the Sheriff of Rottingham; the scenes involving both of them are some of the funniest in the film.

The Verdict: Men in Tights has its fair share of hysterical moments, though it's never quite as consistently funny as other Brooks works such as Blazing Saddles or Spaceballs. I'd recommend it to fans of Brooks comedies, but some of the humour is considerably niche here, so other audiences may not get the same enjoyment out of it.

Rating: 6/10

Published July 25th, 2016