Customer Reviews

Cracking Up [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie is The Jerk times 10! I forgot how funny Jerry Lewis is - can we just address the hospital/Krishnamurti scene or the workman on the head phones? I was pounding the floor and ripping my hair out...and the beginning credits weren't even finished yet. Please watch this movie, skip over the parts that don't speak to you - then laugh your a__ off! Red slippery floors make me laugh. It's like sunshine....

My siblings and I watch this movie practically every time we go home to visit. We have loved it since first seeing it over 20 years ago. Today, our conversations are sprinkled with phrases such as "No. Anesthesia. Please. Boing.Boing.Boing.Boing." and "OW! That HURTS! Are you NUTS!" Then we are all laughing like crazy!

And every time I get on a low-cost airline I think of Willy Wehawkin and my hand naturally curls! But my favorite scene is definitely Jerry in the French prison planning his escape! Jerry is brilliant and appreciated by so few...

For the more objective review:
The movie definitely has some slow points but just keep watching. As in most stand-up comedy routines, the jokes have a way of coming up later and catching you off-guard. (i.e. the annoying waitress, Jerry getting punched each time he lights up, Jerry falling down...often!)

If you hate Jerry, you probably will hate the film and there is nothing I can say to convince you otherwise. Many of my friends (whom I've made sit through this) think my family is nuts! But I still keep pushing it hoping for the next new members of our cult-following...

Before I review this movie, I shall put myself in to a catatonic state where I shan't feel anything, nothing whatsoever. ...Selaai! Selaai! Wulupu. Wulupu. Wolick! Wolick! Mummy, mummy. Punt! Punt! Saleemeeni! Saleemeeni! Foyneen, foyneen. Momeeeennnn...

I will begin. I know what the following reviewer is referencing, but it's a horrible paraphrasement: "Moeg1@hotmail.com from New York City , August 6, 1999 Funniest movie of all time. Jerry Lewis was not only at his best in this film but his style is considered timeless. I found myself laughing out loud for most of this film. "We have american, swiss, mozzarella, blue, yellow, and spanish cheese, "we have cheese with holes in it and no holes in it." This film is a classic!"

Cheese? The waitress never talks about cheese, but she does do meats, coffees and credit cards.

This is the best movie ever!

The review who said this was a cult classic for his family must be in my family. Some key details of his writing tell me he isn't. But god is this movie good. When I was 3, my brother taped this off HBO, and we moved to India. This was one of the few American movies we had. And I watched it every day. 3 times a day. I am not kidding. My family went nuts. They loved the movie, but cmon, 3 times a day, isn't that excessive? Yes. It was.

But this movie is hysterical. And the caveat is, people will either love it or hate it, and you'll never be able to predict who will fall into which camp. $28, the current used price, is a bit steep probably. But I've got my copy, so ha ha suckers!

Having grown up watching early Jerry Lewis and Lewis & Martin movies, I consider this one right up there with the best of them. Jerry is in top form in this one. The guys got the funniest face in show business this side of Buddy Hackett, yes that's a compliment. My brother and I have watched this movie several times since first seeing it on cable as kids, and everytime I see it I can't help but laugh louder than "a land-to-air missile" Screw all the skeptics, Jerry is one of the funniest freaks in Hollywood history and it's a shame you have to go all the way to France to find people who realize he's a genius. If you're a Jerry Lewis fan you'll love this flick, if you're not a fan you might become one after this gut-buster.

As far as the Movie itself, I liked it and thought there were a few VERY funny scenes. My only complaint is with the DVD itself. It won't play on my best equipment because it's a player AND recorder. It says right on the back of the case that it won't play on machines that also have recording capability. That's a first for me. Very aggravating.

I've never been a Jerry Lewis fan which isn't to say that I haven't liked some of his work. What I'm trying to say is I haven't seen much of his comedic work so I really can't formulate an opinion. He was brilliant in Martin Scorsese's masterwork, "The King of Comedy" and he had a terrific turn as a garment salesman on the great TV series "Wiseguy" in the Eighties. "Cracking Up" isn't a comic masterpiece but it's darned funny. There's no real plot here persay but a series of vignettes. Some of it works and some don't but enough does to make this worthwhile viewing. Lewis demonstrates his adeptness here not only as a great physical comedian but also a master of the visual pun. I was reminded of Rowan Atkinson's inspired comic creation, Mr. Bean, but I'm sure Atkinson took some of his cues from Lewis. The greatest compliment I can pay to Lewis is that this film is an impetus for me check out some of his other films.

I first watched this movie when I was about ten years old. I saw it again just this week. It is absolutely hilarious. You can't help but laugh. Some of the jokes are absurd and completely out of place. But the second you see Jerry in French prison, warming himself by a candle saying, Hot, chaude....hot, chaude.....hot, chaude, you'll know this movie is for you. I never really knew how funny he could be til this...

Cracking up...two thumbs up.. Way up. Who could forget the crazy hi-jinks of Jerry Lewis at his finest? Cameos from Sammy, Milton, and Dick Butkus? Truly an extravaganza, a Smorgasbord of comedic geniuses. Smorgasbord.....smorgasbord.... -Dr. Grass Nova Perks London, England

I was really looking forward to finally getting this movie in DVD format (great movie). I was pretty disappointed when I received this DVD and found that the Warner Archive DVD's are very finicky about where they will load. It doesn't work in my main DVD player which is only a couple of years old. I have a small 9-inch DVD player that it will play in, but if you have a DVD player that records, forget about the Warner Archive DVDs, so now I have to watch this movie on a tiny portable player. Every other DVD I've ever purchased before works fine except for this one. For the price of this DVD, it should have been recorded like most all other DVDs.