Brain Donors (1992)

This is most certainly a 'must-see' if you enjoy Marx Brothers type characters. My mother doesn't like slap-stick style comedy and didn't enjoy this movie at all, but my sons and I thought it was the greatest 'crack-up' ever! The innuendos, puns and visual comedy just keep rolling and I found something new each time I watched the movie. In one viewing, I'm listening to the amusing dialogue, but notice in the second viewing that there's something funny happening in the background.There are a couple of scenes perhaps not suitable for young viewers without parental guidance, but my sons first watched and loved the show when they were about 12 ... and ten years on, are still enjoying watching it occasionally with friends who've not yet seen it.Most people have never heard of the show, and when they hear 'Brain Donors', they think it's some sort of horror flick.Spoiler: (Not really a spoiler, but thought it best to be safe) - Watch for the incident with the whoopee cushion ... it had my sons literally slapping their sides and rolling on the floor laughing.

You'll have to watch BRAIN DONORS two or three times to pick up on all the zingers and zaniness thrown your way. John Turturro, Bob Nelson and Mel Smith are modern-day Marx Stooges who team up to run a business in one of the many things they know nothing about: ballet. In doing so, they fulfill the will of a millionaire, give their dancer friends a shot at the big time, and make smoke pour from the ears of the grumpy and villainous John Savident.But the plot merely serves as background to the antics of our three lovable heroes. Parts of BRAIN DONORS are gut-burstingly hilarious. Their efforts to sabotage the performance of snooty ballet hotshot George De La Pena include sending a man in a duck outfit on stage and inserting a whoopee cushion in the star's tights at a key moment. It's not highbrow comedy, but it nevertheless leaves you rolling in the aisles. Turturro's Roland T. Flakfizer's I-just-got-that-one quips are often priceless, and big Nelson's Jacques nearly steals the show.Even when it's not laugh-out-loud, BRAIN DONORS is good for a chuckle or at least a smile. Incredibly, despite its joke-a-minute pace, none of the humor is lame or feels forced. Much of the credit goes to director Dennis Dugan, better known for HAPPY GILMORE and BEVERLY HILLS NINJA, who keeps things rolling at a good pace and kept the running time under 80 minutes.BRAIN DONORS is not the greatest comedy ever, but it is in its own way an overlooked gem.

Brain Donors is in the tradition of the Marx brothers films. The best part of the film is in the comic timing. John Tuttoro the lead character is masterful at the one liners and the way he delivers his lines to the female lead in the picture. I have to admit I am a Marx Brothes fan. This film has all the ingredients of the Marx Brothers wacky world of comedy. Instead of just copying the Marx Brothers style, these actors are really funny on there own. I found the film to be unbelievably funny! The fast pacing of this comedy and the shear madness of the characters make this film a riot to watch. So if you have some spare time on your hands and really want to laugh. I recommend Brain Donors to tickle your funny bone.

Hands down, this is one of my three favorite movies of all time! The plot revolves around three guys, all who come into each others lives in a most unexpected way all on one day. John Turturro, one of the greatest actors working today in my opinion, plays Roland T. Flakfizer, an ambulance chasing lawyer, who, in an odd twist of fate represented the ex-wife of taxi driver Rocco Melonchek (Mel Smith). Joining them is Jacques (Bob Nelson), the resident handyman of rich widow Lilian Ogelthorpe (Nancy Marchand).Upon the death of her husband, he asks in his will that half of his fortune go to the founding of a ballet company. In the midst of things is a uptight lawyer Lazlo (played well by John Savident), intent on bringing down the dreams of Flakfizer and company.Upon beginning the ballet company, the trio try to recruit famed ballet dancer Volare (famed dancer and ballet performer Roberta De La Pena), who upon refusing their offer signs on with Lazlo. However, all is not lost as they bring in the ballerina Lisa Le Baron (the ravishing Juli Donald), who pines for her true love Alan Grant (Spike Alexander). Together they all head off to New York for the premiere of the Ogelthorpe Ballet Company. But, through a series of events, (and some excellent gag sequences taken from the Marx Brothers films!) the trio find they may be the only hope in saving the ballet company from certain doom at the corrupt hands of Lazlo and his efforts to bring down Flakfizer. The ensuing comedy is some of the best ever caught on film, with top-notch acting, and a great story, Brain Donors is one of the best comedies ever, and certainly in my opinion the best of the early 1990's.