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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

November. 07,1963
|
7.5
|
G
| Adventure Action Comedy

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.

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joshfedderson
1963/11/07

This movie defined comedy at it's best, I remember watching this with my dad when I was younger and laughing my head off. Now I am 25 years old and I have my own copy and still am laughing pretty hard. This hilarious movie has some of the greatest comedians and actors ever to appear on screen all in one big movie. Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Sid Caesar,Buddy Hackett to name just a few. These were the classic actors, actors that really loved their jobs and showed it. The story follows 14 ordinary people living their ordinary lives, one day 8 of them witness a man going crazy on the road and driving himself off a cliff. In the words of the dying man 5 of them hear "It's under a big W" and the dying man claims $350,000 is buried under it. What they don't know is that the dying man is a thief and the loot that is buried is from all his robberies. Then all of the sudden these people go mad and race to uncover the cash, every man and woman for himself and herself. Meanwhile, the police are hot on their tails witnessing just how "Mad" these people really are. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a chase comedy, each of the 14 people involved goes through a horrible yet hilarious experience to get to the buried loot. The characters are a wimpy man J. Russell Finch, his down to earth wife Emeline Marcus Finch, A know it all dentist Melville Crump, His overprotective wife Monica Crump, A short feisty man named Ding Bell and his friend Benjy Benjamin, The bossy and sassy mother of Emeline and mother in law of Russell Mrs. Marcus, a strong stubborn truck driver named Lennie Pike, A crook and smooth talker named Otto Meyer, A Talkative and annoying English man named J. Algernon Hawthorne, a Mama's boy and son, brother, and brother in law Sylvester Marcus, and a crooked dirty cop named Captain T.G. Culpepper.All of these ordinary people have dangerous, life threatening experiences yet to the audience these experiences are outrageously hilarious as they try to get to their precious money. A lot of people say this movie is not so funny, and overly slapstick. But what they don't realize is this movie was one of the greatest comedies of all. Plus this comedy is very clean, no swearing, there are two scenes where a woman is dancing in a swimsuit and bikini though it is only shown twice and for small moments. All in all it's a clean comedy and very funny, what I don't understand is why do comedies today have all the filth in them, to me that doesn't make it funny. If your in the right mood, you will laugh with this movie.It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a classic, nothing will ever come close to it. They did do a movie called "Rat Race" that is like this, but I have not seen it yet. 10/10 stars for "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World."

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MartinHafer
1963/11/08

I just had rotator cuff surgery and this is one of my first film reviews post-surgery. So, although the movie is 3 1/2 hours long, I am being very brief because I just don't have the energy to write longer AND because they are already a ton of reviews for the movie.The story involves a group of seemingly normal people who go crazy due to greed and quickly become unhinged at the process of sudden wealth. In addition to this core group, you have many cameos (many of which could have been used better) of very famous comedy actors of yesterday such as The Three Stooges, Jack Benny, Joe E. Brown and many others.So is this film a brilliant comedy? Not exactly. Subtlety certainly is NOT something you see in the film and Ethel Merman's performance is ridiculously over the top (no one is THAT obnoxious). Instead it's more a turn off your brain and just enjoy sort of movie. Funny, high energy but rarely brilliant or clever...it's well worth seeing and holds up well but also isn't a film that makes the best use of its many stars.

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atlasmb
1963/11/09

When director Stanley Kramer assembled the cast for "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", the comedians were standing in line for a chance to appear in the film. The result is a veritable Who's Who of comedy from silent film days to 1961. (Check out "Rat Race" (2001) for another comedy with a large ensemble.)I saw IAMMMMW at a drive-in on its first release. I enjoyed the film, with its cartoonish action and characters. It was like watching Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner (and friends) played with human actors. Over time, it has not become dated. In fact, I enjoy it more today. As an older viewer, I can better appreciate the subtleties of the performances (even within the slapstick) and the quality of the script. Also, even though I knew who most of the actors were back in 1961, I now have a greater respect for and knowledge of their abilities and careers.There are so many talents in this film, both as leads and as supporting actors and in cameos. But there are a few who really drive this comedy. Jonathan Winters, for example, plays a manic character who is like an unstoppable force. Dick Shawn portrays a kooky, west coast surfer dude like no one else can. Ethel Merman--surprisingly--is like a walking punchline, giving all of the actors something to play off of--like an MVP. And Phil Silvers always makes me laugh, with his "Why I oughta" snarkiness.For cinema fans, this is a film that should be watched for its record of comedic talent. Consider Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Terry Thomas, Don Knotts, Jimmy Durante, and Jerry Lewis, just to name a few. The jokes come from every direction.The stuntwork and car chases are also a lot of fun. That this piece of cinematic history is also so much fun to watch is just a bonus.

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thrall7
1963/11/10

I saw this movie when it was first released, which was when I was in junior high school. My friend and I laughed all the way through it. In the decades since then I must have seen it at least half a dozen more times, and still enjoy it - but from a different perspective today. This was maybe the greatest assemblage of comedy talent ever put together in one movie, even if it isn't the greatest comedy due to a pretty thin story line. There are actors in it, like Buster Keaton and Ben Blue, who started in silent movies. Many of the others came out of the vaudeville circuits. The characters are all great, with some wonderful cameos, such as those by Jack Benny and Jerry Lewis. A personal favorite is Jonathan Winters portrayal of the put-upon moving truck driver.While the story line is thin, it's still a funny movie from beginning to end. Today, hopefully viewers will appreciate what a tribute this movie is to a true all-star cast.

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