Neighbors (1981)

 

A quiet man's peaceful suburban lifestyle is threatened by the new, obnoxious couple that moves in next door.

From memory: Not quite as anarchic and wild as Blues Brothers, this James Belushi/Dan Aykroyd comedy does have its own charm and some quite amusing moments.

Halliwell*: "Hit-or-miss but generally quite funny comedy in a style familiar to viewers of American late night television."

Maltin BOMB: "Appallingly unfunny and tiresome "comedy"...; sadly, Belushi's last film."

 

 

 

 

1941 (1979)

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

From memory: Monstrously overblown spoof does have lots of brilliant bits and pieces and is occasionally funny, but, in every aspect, there is simply too much going on so that you really can take it all in

Halliwell*: "Absurdly over-budgeted manic farce which substitutes noise for wit and slapstick for comedy; it fails on every level."

Maltin**1/2: "Gargantuan comedy from the bigger-is-funnier school of filmmaking. Some excellent vignettes and dazzling special effects..., but on the whole suffers from overkill."

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

Highly entertaining mischief full of music, propellent sequence of dramatic and humorous situations and a record-breaking number of pile-ups (mostly police cars).

Halliwell*: "Fashionable chase comedy with so many stunts that its cost ran up to 33,000,000 dollars. The public stayed away, though it gained a cult following since."

Maltin***: "Engagingly nutty comedy...Off the wall from start to finish, with some fine music woven in..."

Sneakers (1992)

A security pro finds his past coming back to haunt him, when he and his unique team are tasked with retrieving a particularly important item.

Good-humoured and harmless caper comedy, although it does presciently convey an alarming attempt at global surveillance.

Halliwell**: "Enjoyable caper that pleasantly passes a couple of hours."

Maltin**1/2: "High-tech caper yarn...Redford is in fine form in a lighthearted leading-man role, and his "team" is fun, but why does this story take so long to unravel - and why does it jettison every shred of believability toward the end?"

Trading Places (1983)

A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Trading Places (1983)

A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Lively and entertaining comedy that hasn't dated at all.

Halliwell**: " Surprisingly witty comedy, which while not aspiring to great heights, and marred by a few excesses, brought a refreshing breath of air to a declining genre."

Maltin**1/2: "Fine cast breathes life into time-worn comedy premise...Murphy, in his second film, is a comic powerhouse, and makes up for director Landis' indulgences..."

Ghostbusters (1984)

Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

An otherwise silly premise (and plot) is turned into a successful comedy thanks to tongue-in-cheek direction and a valiant, good-humored cast of characters.

Halliwell*: "Crude farce with expensive special effects. It took more money - millions more - than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which must say something about the age we live in."

Maltin***: "The first multimillion-dollar scare comedy...Engagingly offbeat, even subdued at times, with Murray's flippant personality nicely contrasting Richard Edlund's eye-popping special effects. Great fun all the way..."