Yesterday I posted an unflattering evaluation of a film. Under the circumstances -- it had just won a major award -- I thought it best to warn moviegoers away. (Or at least those who trust my judgment, possibly a smallish group; there is a cost to being idiosyncratic.)
Most people, though, are more interested in learning about GOOD things: movies they'll enjoy, recipes that work, readable books, affordable wines that make credible gifts for dinner party hosts.
Today I have a humorous film to recommend, a documentary. It was released last year, but odds are you haven't seen it. I watched it for the second time recently and enjoyed it as much as I had the first time around. You can find it on your computer and see it for free.
It is Mel Brooks: Make a Noise, a PBS production about the life and work of the man who gave us everything from sketches on Sid Caesar's television shows in the 1950s to the Broadway smash hit, The Producers, the hilarious musical based on his first movie. In the documentary, Brooks talks about his childhood, his career, his long marriage to glamorous actress Anne Bancroft. There are many comments from other comedians who put his work in context. And, happily, there are many vignettes including a couple from "The 2000 Year Old Man," Brooks' comedy skit with Carl Reiner, a touchstone for virtually every comedy writer since its first recording in 1961.
So, next time you are bored or sad or lonely, put the title of this work into your search engine. Up will pop a documentary that will lighten your mood enormously. Guaranteed.
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