Epic Movie (Re)Watch #192 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Spoilers Below
Have I seen it before: Oh yes
Did I like it then: It’s grown on me.
Do I remember it: Yes.
Did I see it in theaters: No.
Format: DVD (although we watched my brother’s blu-ray copy)
1) Watching this film is a tradition to do on my brother’s birthday (which was in August but I’m behind on my rewatch posts). We’ve been doing it for 9 years (give or take a year) and it kinda grows on you.
2) I’m a sucker for 4th wall breaks in movies, so the numerous ones in this film are appreciated.
3) Honestly, the rapping which bookends the film feels like a misguided attempt by Mel Brooks to make the film “hip”. It just doesn’t really work and doesn’t feel like it belongs in a Mel Brooks bit.
4) There are actually quite a few clever gags in this film. A lot of them come from the very first scene in Jerusalem’s prison with Robin and Falafel.
(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)
5) Cary Elwes as Robin Hood.
Elwes was cast in The Princess Bride back in 1987 because of his “Errol Flynn” like quality. Now he plays a role which is one of Flynn’s most iconic. He commits to the part in the grandest of Mel Brooks’ tradition, as set before by Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein and Bill Pullman in Spaceballs. Elwes’ Robin is wonderfully buffoonish and ridiculous, with most of the humor coming from his lack of self awareness. It would be easy for an insecure actor to give a wink to the audience that lets them know he’s aware they’re stupid, but Elwes isn’t afraid of appearing idiotic. He embraces it. Robin should come across as an idiot. That’s the gag!
6) I relate to Achoo so much.
Robin [while going into a fight]: “Watch my back!”
[Robin gets hit in the back twice.]
Achoo: “You’re back just got hit twice.”
Robin: “Thank you.”
7) Dave Chapelle as Achoo.
Chapelle’s ability to play the straight man in this film is absolutely amazing. A legendary comic, Chapelle basically represents the audience. I mentioned that Robin is blissfully unaware of the foolishness in his life, but Achoo is hysterically aware of it. He’s observations are comedically wonderful and just all around inspired. Chapelle is a wonderful addition to the cast.
8) Blinkin, the blind butler.
The film is able to take an absurd concept that was taken so seriously in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and take it to its naturally funny punchline. While many of Blinkin’s jokes may fall flat, his overall presence is appreciated and does lend to some nice comedy all around.
9) Robin losing everything he loved shouldn’t this funny.
(Screenshot taken of a GIF set originally made by @thorinss)
10) I despise the Home Alone “joke” this film makes. It is the first in a long line which shows that just because you make a pop culture reference doesn’t mean you’re being funny.
11) Roger Rees as the Sheriff of Rottingham
Roger Rees is the definite scene stealer of the show, outshining even Dave Chapelle’s Achoo. He is able to take ownership of every moment he’s in by playing the Sheriff as a bigger idiot than even Robin to a wonderfully hysterical degree. I got a chance to see Rees on stage before his passing (when he played Gomez Addams in The Addams Family) and I could see from that his comedic talent was not only limited to his work with Mel Brooks. All in all, for me, Roger Rees will always be my favorite performance in the film.
12) Amy Yasbeck as Marion.
Yasbeck - like Elwes - commits to the silliness of Marion. Although more of a spoof than a character at times, it’s a damn good spoof. By taking aim at old school “fair maiden” tropes and sort of the humorous daintiness of that, Yasbeck is able to hold her own against Elwes and the insanity of a Brooks’ movie.
13) Richard Lewis as Prince John.
If the Sheriff of Rottingham is the evil version of Elwes’ Robin (in his embracing of the character’s foolishness) then Roger Lewis is the evil version of Achoo. He plays it modern, very aware of kind of the idiocy around him, and casual to the point of funny. He has the ridiculously strong chemistry with Roger Rees which makes all their scenes a treat and all in all totally fun.
14) Tracy Ullman as the witch/cook Prince John goes to in times of need and she’s fine enough in the part. It’s not exactly a fountain of character writing but she’s funny enough and works with the part well.
Prince John [after Latrine says her family changed the name when they came to England]: “You changed it TO Latrine?”
Latrine: “Yeah. Used to be shit house!”
Prince John [after nodding]: “Good change!”
14.1) Also, Latrine promises to make a magic potion that’ll make Robin worthless if Prince John puts in a good word for her with Rottingham. He agrees and then…it never comes up again. At all. It’s like the scene never happened. And I’m just like…
15) Hey, that’s Erik Allan Kramer!
16) The bow staff fight between Robin and Little John is actually pretty clever, primarily because of just how funnily it deteriorates into a slapping game.
17) Remember what I mentioned in note #10? Well, we get these two “jokes” back to back.
Will Scarlett: “My full name is Will Scarlett O’Hara. We’re from Georgia.”
Achoo [after Robin fails to jump on his horse]: “Man, white men can’t jump.”
Repeat after me: making a pop culture reference is not the same as making a joke.
18) However, this is pretty funny.
According to IMDb:
The gag about Robin being able to speak with an English accent is a reference to Kevin Costner’s performance in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Unfortunately viewers who saw both movies in a dubbed version couldn’t get this gag. For the German dubbed version the gag was changed to: “because I - unlike some other Robin Hood - do not cost the producers 5 million”. The German word “kosten” (cost) was also pronounced to sound a little bit like Costner. In the French (France) and Italian (Italy) dubbed versions, it is translated as, “Because unlike other Robin Hoods, I do not dance with the wolves”, referring to another Kevin Costner movie Dances with Wolves (1990). In Quebec, the translation becomes “Because unlike other Robin Hoods, I accept to wear tights,” which refers to the fact that Costner didn’t wear tights in the 1991 movie. In the Hungarian version, he says “Because unlike Kevin Costner, I have a shapely bottom,” a reference to the infamous fact that Costner used a body double in the nude scene.
19) The castle fight has a number of clever bits but some could’ve been cut in support of pacing. The scene as a whole drags at times and can come across as dull instead of fun like it should be. Tightening it up may have helped.
20) If only for Dave Chapelle’s Malcolm X impression, this is my favorite scene in the entire film.
I also love the juxtaposition between Robin’s Churchill and (again) Chapelle’s X. It just really works for me.
21) Hey…isn’t that David DeLuise? The dad from “Wizards of Waverly Place?”
22) Ah, the obligatory Mel Brooks cameo.
23) Dom DeLuise as Don Giovani.
Okay, I lied. THIS is my favorite scene in the entire film. DeLuise is absolutely hysterical and why the scene may be a bit too long, I just don’t care. He’s so fucking funny! His Brando impression is a gift from above and I’ve got a feeling most of his shit was improvised. It’s just…it speaks largely to the talent of Dom DeLuise. I love it.
24) This is probably the best Blinkin gag in the film.
[Blinkin falls from a tree, dusts himself off, then starts to look around.]
Blinkin: “I can see!”
[Blinkin walks right into a tree then takes a step back.]
Blinkin: “Nope. I was wrong.”
25) The “Men in Tights” song is a much better fit for this film than the rap. It feels organic to the kind of comedy the film embraces and is just pretty fun.
26) “The Night is Young” is similarly organic and a better fit than the wrap, but it probably shouldn’t have been put back-to-back with the previous song. We need a little variety.
27) I love this.
(GIFs originally posted by @summercountess)
I love that the filmmakers aren’t even trying to explain why he gets another shot. It’s just, “It’s in the script.” I mentioned I’m a sucker for fourth wall breaks and this one takes the cake for me!
28) There are a lot of gags in this movie which were funnier in other Mel Brooks films.
- Prince John’s, “I have a mole?” vs Igor’s, “What hump?” from Young Frankenstein.
- “Walk this way!” in this film vs Young Frankenstein.
- The hangman in this film vs Blazing Saddles.
- etc.
29) The fight scene is actually what the castle fight should’ve been more like. The swashbuckling action is fun and mixed well with gags and slapstick humor.
Rottingham: “En guard!”
Robin: “Thanks for the warning!”
Also they run into a crew member on his break, which continues my love for 4th wall breaks.
30) And a wild Patrick Stewart appears!
He has a Scottish accent because Sean Connery made a similarly random cameo at the end of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with his natural accent. It’s kinda weird and doesn’t add much but who cares, it’s Patrick Stewart!
While there are other funnier Mel Brooks movies out there and better Robin Hood films out there, Robin Hood: Men in Tights does exactly what it is supposed to do: it gives you a 100 minute distraction with silly comedy and fun performances that can act as a break from your day. Cary Elwes is a delight as Robin, with Roger Rees, Richard Lewis, Dave Chapelle, and Amy Yasbeck all showing off their comedic chops. It’s just fun. Occasionally stupid, yes. Some of the jokes do fall painfully flat (like that Home Alone gag), but by the end of the film you’ll probably have gotten in a few chuckles and feel like it’s time well spent. It’s just silly Mel Brooks fun.
