Review of Brain Donors (1992) by Stuart K — 19 Jun 2012

Directed by Dennis Dugan, (who has since worked with Adam Sandler), and written by Pat Proft (The Naked Gun (1988)) and produced by David and Jerry Zucker This remake of A Night at the Opera (1935), was intended to be a new series of films by Paramount, after glowing test-screenings, but when the Zuckers left Paramount under a dark cloud, Paramount dumped it.

Shame, as it's actually a very funny comedy with some great gags. Widow Lillian Oglethorpe (Nancy Marchand) wishes to honour her late husbands wish of forming a ballet company, and she gets her lawyer Roland T.

Flakfizer (John Turturro) to handle the deal, but he finds himself at loggerheads with Oglethorpe's late husband's lawyer Edmund Lazlo (John Savident). Flakfizer has help from Oglethorpe's handyman Jacques (Bob Nelson) and cab driver Rocco (Mel Smith), and they try to obtain the world's greatest ballet dancer "The Great Volare" (George de la Pena), but Lazlo wants to discredit Flakfizer, and expose him for the cheat he really is, chasing ambulances and twisting cases.

But, Flakfizer, Jacques and Rocco won't be beaten. It has some hilarious moments, and it has a great trio of Turturro, Nelson and Smith as the would be Marx Brothers, and it's fun seeing Savident (Fred Elliot in Coronation Street) as the slimey, posh baddie.

It's a shame it died on release, as it's far funnier than a lot of the comedies that were out around the time this came out. It's got cult classic written all over it.