Review of The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) by Matthew H — 05 Jan 2013

NOT funny doesn't even begin to describe this dud. Even if you're a huge Don Knotts fan (which admittedly I am not), the jokes and humor are few and far between in this one. The release date of 1967 is a little surprising--other than being in color, it has the look and feel of a bland, harmless mid-50s comedy. I was mainly interested in this to see an early comedy performance from Leslie Nielsen. Alas, he hadn't quite made the full jump to comedy yet, and he's utilized here as the strait man to Knotts' goofball.

The plot has been summarized here nicely, so I won't rehash. Personally, I find this kind of unbelievable high-concept goofiness, so popular in the 50s and 60s, to simply no longer be funny or relevant in the new millennium. It's my opinion. But if Don Knotts being given a string of near-inexplicable excuses to bug his eyes out at the camera for an hour and a half is your idea of a good time, have at it.