Brain Donors

Usually, I'm not a fan of tribute bands. They usually just want to make me go home and listen to my albums of the actual artists. The same could be said of when they try to recreate classic comedy teams or trios in films. The Farrelly Brothers tried to do this a few years back with The Three Stooges, with mixed results. There was even an awful Laurel And Hardy retread with Bronson Pinchot and Gailard Sartain that was dreadful. That being said, there was one that worked really well, 1992's Brain Donors.

Producers Jerry and David Zucker, the guys behind Airplane and The Naked Gun, and writer Pat Proft, decided to remake the Marx Brothers classic A Night At The Opera. Only this time it's set at the ballet. Lillian Oglethorpe, Nancy Marchand, a recent widow decides to start a ballet company in honor of her late husband. Her ambulance chasing lawyer, Roland T. Flakfizer see's dollar signs and volunteers to be the company's director. Her former attorney, Edmond Lazlo, John Savident, also throws his hat into the ring and say's he can land the world's top ballet dancer, the Great Volare, George de la Pena. With the help of of his patners Jacques, Bob Nelson, and Rocco, Mel Smith, Roland tries to get Lazlo and Volare out of the picture.

The Zuckers and Proft stay true to the Marx Brothers tardition with zingers and one liners coming at a rapid pace. And the three leads are great, especially Turturro, who seems to be having a blast as Flakfizer. He has never been funnier.

I'm a huge fan of the Marx Brothers, so this is high praise for me to say that Brain Donors is hysterical.

It's available on dvd.