Review of Noises Off... (1992) by Matthew B — 08 Feb 2008

This is the single funniest film I have EVER seen. After the "Back to the Future" trilogy and (for sentimental reasons) all Muppet movies, this is my favourite film. I love the stage show upon which this is based, and hope to one day direct and star in it (possibly for the same production).

The cast they've assembled here is top notch, and although the action is moved from England (in the original play) to America (for the film), this by no means diminishes the enjoyment of the piece.

In fact, the use of music and the added 'flashback' style to the narrative in the film version only adds (in my opinion) to the overall effect of the story. The (admittedly contrived) feel-good Hollywood happy ending even feels well deserved (and I'm usually dead-set against such modifications of excellent source material when turned into American films).

Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Denholm Elliott, Mark Linn-Baker, Nicollette Sheridan, Marilu Henner, Julie Hagarty and Carol Burnett are all superb in their roles, and this is one of those films where you're *definitely* richly rewarded with repeated viewings.

Lovers and participates of amateur theatre would be particularly tickled by this movie, for it takes a behind-the-scenes look at a bunch of semi-professionals putting on a play (a harmless British sex farce), but we only see the first act.

We see it three times, and witness how the actors' personal relationships come through the play and how they allow their petty grievances to impede upon their on-stage personas. Each time we watch them perform the opening act of their stage show, the material is brutally destroyed as more and more of their backstage arguments are carried out in front of the theatrical audiences who've come to see the show.

It builds perfectly, and contains all types of comedy - mistaken identity, puns, slapstick, witty wordplay and much more. The characters are hysterical, the action non-stop, the timing impeccable, and the humour first-rate.

See it with a group of friends and see if anyone can keep from crying with laughter! An absolute gem.