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Life Stinks Details

1991 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 327 members

In 'Life Stinks', Goddard Bolt, a billionaire developer, is challenged by business rival Vance Crasswell to live on the streets without money for one month among the homeless both men are trying to further displace by building on the property that is their only home. Goddard is forced to dance for his money, avoid turf wars, .. Read more

Starring Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeffrey Tambor, Stuart Pankin
Director Mel Brooks
Genres Comedy

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Life Stinks

In 'Life Stinks', Goddard Bolt, a billionaire developer, is challenged by business rival Vance Crasswell to live on the streets without money for one month among the homeless both men are trying to further displace by building on the property that is their only home. Goddard is forced to dance for his money, avoid turf wars, develop survival tactics, live in a cardboard box, and more. But along the way, he makes valuable friends among the street people who teach him that life is not about owning material items but about the integrity of the human spirit. One of these is bag lady Molly, who, in one of the most inspired moments of the film, dances with Goddard in a dilapidated building to the strains of Cole Porter's Easy To Love. It is humanistic moments such as this one that makes what could have been a silly movie into a film more reminiscent of Brooks's madcap but poignant films such as 'Young Frankenstein'.

Starring Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeffrey Tambor, Stuart Pankin, Billy Barty
Director Mel Brooks
Studio 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 31 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Comedy
Language DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Released DVD: 26 Dec 2005
Production year: 1991
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of Life Stinks

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  • 1 stars out of 5

    The title tells all: the film stinks, as Mel Brooks tries to be Charlie Chaplin and fails miserably. As billionaire Goddard Bolt, erecting a business monument to himself even if it means getting rid of a shantytown of vagrants, he's as callous and crass as expected. Then he succumbs to a bet that he can't live as a derelict and the plot itself falls apart while Brooks babbles for our sympathy as a put-upon everyman. The hospital scenes have enough bad-taste humour to remind us of the witty Brooks, and Lesley Ann Warren is poignant as a bag lady. Yet the film proves it takes genius to make down-and-outs comic and Chaplin wasn't available.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Having spent many fallow years producing sub-standard slapstick, Brooks here returns to the message-in-the-madness... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of Life Stinks

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  • Rated - 4 stars

    Mel Brooks at his best

    Anyone who is a fan of Mel Books (the guy responsible for Blazing saddles)has to watch this, Some very funny moments, i've seen it about 3 or 4 times and i still laugh.

      • A customer from Durham
      • Posted 13 Jan 2006 06:51

  • Most recent members' review of Life Stinks

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  • Rated - 3 stars

    Chuckles

    I saw this film about ten years ago and then recently. It wasn't a laugh out loud belly laugh for me but it did make me chuckle many times which is good enough for me as I'm not a big fan of comedy. This is the only Mel Brooks film I have seen. From what I saw Mel Brooks is a great comedy actor and comes across as being likeable on screen. Recommended to those who like gentle comedy.

      • A customer from lanarkshire, scotland
      • Posted 16 Feb 2006 22:44

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Rating breakdown

327 Member ratings
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35
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20
  • 80
57
  • 70
51
  • 60
70
  • 50
35
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27
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13
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      • In 'Life Stinks', Goddard Bolt, a billionaire developer, is challenged by business rival Vance Crasswell to live on the streets without money for one month among the homeless both men are trying to ...