I don't know what the critics were smoking back in 1991 to give this hilarious film a negative review, maybe it was the beginning of a more "dark Era" and this attempting at a thirties Hollywood screwball comedy film, felt out of place or it was the "jumping in the bandwagon" bash against the great Sylvester Stallone, the "winner of the worst actor of the decade" by the "fabulous" Razzies (what a joke !!).
Unfortunately, the audiences teamed with the critics and "Oscar" was a major flop when it was released in theaters, but became huge succesful on video and found its audience there, even if it's still largely underrated nowadays.
"Oscar" is a delightfully well-staged and nicely paced "'comedy of errors", based on the 1967 French film of the same name, starring Louis de Funès, but with the setting moved to 1931, during the Depression-era in New York City, telling the story of a Mob Boss, Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Stallone), trying to going straight after a promise he made to his dying father, Eduardo (Kirk Douglas), but it won't be an easy task...
This was the first John Landis' film, after the major Box Office hit of his "Coming to America" ('88) starring Eddie Murphy, and probably the expectations were higher for the director to deliver another audience friendly contemporary comedy, but Landis took a risk honoring (and resurrecting) a dead genre and glad he did so.
The performances are all top notch, well directed by Landis and perfectly adequate to the characters they're playing, the settings and the tone of the movie: Sly Stallone is a great comedy actor, he have the right delivery timing, funny expressions and truly dominates the central role of the film with the great support of Peter Riegert and Chazz Palminteri as his (not so bright) henchmen; Ornella Muti & Marisa Tomei as his dominating wife and spoiled teenage daughter; Landis' usual collaborator, the veteran Don Ameche as Father Clemente; Tim Curry as the linguistic Dr. Poole; Vincent Spano as the greedy accountant and the duo Harry Shearer & Martin Ferrero, playing the tailors Finucci Brothers, which are hilarious. Kirk Douglas joined the cast in the prologue, alongside Yvonne De Carlo (God Bless Lily Munster !!) in her last screen role, offering a memorable cameo.
In short, this is one of the funniest comedies ever put on-screen, people shouldn't listen to Stallone's haters or the snobbish movie critics, who probably didn't even get the movie.
For fans of a good farce, this is the movie to watch, i give it a solid 9 stars !!
Unfortunately, the audiences teamed with the critics and "Oscar" was a major flop when it was released in theaters, but became huge succesful on video and found its audience there, even if it's still largely underrated nowadays.
"Oscar" is a delightfully well-staged and nicely paced "'comedy of errors", based on the 1967 French film of the same name, starring Louis de Funès, but with the setting moved to 1931, during the Depression-era in New York City, telling the story of a Mob Boss, Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Stallone), trying to going straight after a promise he made to his dying father, Eduardo (Kirk Douglas), but it won't be an easy task...
This was the first John Landis' film, after the major Box Office hit of his "Coming to America" ('88) starring Eddie Murphy, and probably the expectations were higher for the director to deliver another audience friendly contemporary comedy, but Landis took a risk honoring (and resurrecting) a dead genre and glad he did so.
The performances are all top notch, well directed by Landis and perfectly adequate to the characters they're playing, the settings and the tone of the movie: Sly Stallone is a great comedy actor, he have the right delivery timing, funny expressions and truly dominates the central role of the film with the great support of Peter Riegert and Chazz Palminteri as his (not so bright) henchmen; Ornella Muti & Marisa Tomei as his dominating wife and spoiled teenage daughter; Landis' usual collaborator, the veteran Don Ameche as Father Clemente; Tim Curry as the linguistic Dr. Poole; Vincent Spano as the greedy accountant and the duo Harry Shearer & Martin Ferrero, playing the tailors Finucci Brothers, which are hilarious. Kirk Douglas joined the cast in the prologue, alongside Yvonne De Carlo (God Bless Lily Munster !!) in her last screen role, offering a memorable cameo.
In short, this is one of the funniest comedies ever put on-screen, people shouldn't listen to Stallone's haters or the snobbish movie critics, who probably didn't even get the movie.
For fans of a good farce, this is the movie to watch, i give it a solid 9 stars !!