5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Drivel, June 21, 2003
As a tribute to the ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS (1959-1961) and THE BULLWINKLE SHOW (1961-1964) television series, David Thomas and Sally Kellerman star respectively as BORIS AND NATASHA, the two inept East European spies appearing in the original cartoon animation as adversaries of Bullwinkle and the squirrel. (Yeah, ok, even "old time" TV wasn't necessarily scintillating.)
In B&N, Pottsylvania's despotic Fearless Leader (Christopher Neame) orders our two heroes to infiltrate America in order to track down a fugitive scientist, who's developed a microchip that can reverse time. Once in the U.S., Natasha is "discovered" by hair stylist Jose (Jose Eber), who makes Natasha a media star. Only Boris, troubled by his partner's loss of focus and dedication, keeps the assignment on track.
There are a few decent sight gags, e.g. Boris and Natasha in fat suit disguises and John Travolta in a fleeting cameo. For me, however, the best feature of the film is long-legged Sally Kellerman, who manages to be sexy in a ditzy sort of way. But otherwise, the storyline is drivel. Even a 5-minute scene that includes John Candy as retired Pottsylvania super agent Kallishak, who now has a shoe-shine stand in the Big Apple, adds nothing.
Only die-hard fans of the original small screen adventures may find this movie entertaining. Having said that, where are Dudley Do-Right and Snidely Whiplash when you need them? (Daniel Day-Lewis would make a great Whiplash!)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Comic Pair From Rocky & Bullwinkle, February 11, 2005
This review is from: Boris & Natasha (DVD)
This movie is filled with subtle comedy in the same tradition as the original animated version on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show!
I laughed and laughed at the antics and comic situations this pair get into. If you ever saw the animated version you'll love this real life version as well! A very good movie when you want something different and lighthearted and filled with comedy so subtle that you better pay attention, which is easy to do as the movie draws you into it so easily. A great movie for collector's of real life versions of animated classics!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
SCTV Fans Only..., October 14, 2004
This review is from: Boris & Natasha (DVD)
Me, I got this because I am a Dave Thomas fan from SCTV. He didn't disappoint, doing what he could with the material. Thomas and Sally Kellerman also chose not to attempt straight impressions of their cartoon counterparts. Unfortunately, overall, if you are R & B fans you may wince all the way through. The movie goes Jay Ward only halfheartedly, and that was probably a mistake. Rather than take the wiser approaches of caricature all the way around, or having them transplanted from animation as was done in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," Boris and Natasha are buffoons, but the framework they work within is all played straight. Even Fearless Leader is a competent and serious (as serious as this movie can be) character. There are a couple of good sight gags, and Thomas wrings some laughs out of situations and dialogue that might not deserve it otherwise. The movie peps up when it strays dangerously close to SCTV (John Candy's cameo, Boris and Natasha's disguises in fat suits as the Irish couple Mr. and Mrs. O'Beeth), and might have been better all the way through if they had jettisoned its Rocky and Bullwinkle parentage altogether and tried a new direction for the characters--perhaps using them as punning commentators on a real world full of humor if approached the right way. Worth 2 1/2 stars but not an option.
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