BY LEE PFEIFFER
Despite Sylvester Stallone’s status as a movie icon, his
boxoffice success outside of the Rocky and Rambo franchises has always been
spotty. There have been some hits with films such as Cliffhanger and The
Expendables series, but Stallone has managed to remain relevant simply by
working non-stop. A few of his failures seemed promising on paper and were
ambitious in execution, such as “F.I.S.T.†and “Paradise Alleyâ€, while others
were just done for a quick pay check (though I will concede that “Over the Topâ€
is the “Citizen Kane†of arm-wrestling movies.) Some of his films have even gone
direct-to-video but he always manages to bounce back. However, his attempts to
conquer the comedy genre have generally fallen flat. (When was the last time
you had a craving to watch “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot†or “Rhinestone�).
Thus, when, on a whim, I plucked out Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray screener of Stallone’s
1991 comedy “Oscar†from a pile of golden oldies, I pondered whether I was
experiencing a momentary episode of self-flagellation in the manner of religious
pilgrims who take satisfaction from the experience of whipping themselves for
some greater cause. In my case, the greater cause would be to warn unsuspecting
readers to avoid yet another Stallone comedy. But fate played a strange trick.
From its opening moments, I found myself smitten by “Oscarâ€, perhaps because it
was directed by John Landis, a man who knows a thing or two about directing
first rate comedies. (His credits include “National Lampoon’s Animal Houseâ€, “Trading
Places†and “The Blues Brothers.â€) Landis had long wanted to remake a 1967 French film farce that, in turn, had been based on 1950s stage production. When it finally came to fruition, he moved the setting from contemporary to the 1930s.
The film opens with a very amusing scene in which Chicago gangster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone sits by the bedside of his dying father (a very amusing Kirk Douglas in a cameo) and promises him that he will give up his criminal ways and live on the straight-and-narrow. For his empathy, his old man slaps him across the face and then dies. Still, Snaps is determined to keep his vow. He presides over a palatial mansion house with his glamorous wife Sofia (Ornella Muti) and his rebellious, sexually frustrated daughter Lisa (Marisa Tomei). The script by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland (who plays the titular character who is much-discussed but seen only at the very end of the film) is spot-on and keeps the action flowing at a fever pitch, as is appropriate for a farce. The less said about the plot, the better. It moves at lightning speed and Landis capitalizes on the constant devices of mistaken identities, assumed identities and a packed house of amusing characters straight out of a Damon Runyon story with a side dish of Frank Capra and Howard Hawks comedies. Spats has to deal with double-crosses, temptations to return to crime and deal with a daughter who may or may not be pregnant and may or may not be marrying his personal accountant. Stallone is very good indeed, deftly spitting out wisecracks and showing frustration at the rapidly changing series of events. Director Landis wisely keeps virtually all of the action in and around the mansion, thus keeping the story's origins as a stage production intact. The film features a potpourri of marvelous supporting performances from the likes of Tim Curry, Peter Riegert, Harry Shearer, Chazz Palminteri, Kurtwood Smith, Vincent Spano, Martin Ferrero and Ken Howard. There are also welcome guest appearances by veterans Yvonne DeCarlo (her last film), Don Ameche and Eddie Bracken, who is particularly funny as hyper street informant.
"Oscar" was a box office flop and critics attacked it across the board. However, it has aged very well and I found it to be a delight throughout. Give it chance, will ya?
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray features an amusing interview with John Landis, who recounts how the film was able to use the still-standing street sets on the Universal lot that had been constructed for "The Sting"- until a disastrous fire destroyed them all along with priceless vintage wardrobe. He describes the Herculean tasks of salvaging the film. He also relates a very amusing story about casting Kirk Douglas without realizing he and Stallone had been feuding for ten years ever since Douglas walked off co-starring in "First Blood" because Stallone wouldn't concede to killing off the Rambo character.
Other bonus features are the original trailer and a gallery of other KL trailers.
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