Overview
In this spoof of STAR WARS and a handful of other sci-fi flicks from the 1970s and '80s, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog/half-man sidekick, Barf (John Candy), must rescue a spoiled Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in time to pay off Pizza the Hut. With SPACEBALLS, director Mel Brooks is at it again, this time with a science-fiction parody with all the blue-screen special effects and weird makeup (though in this film, things are always slightly off-kilter and unpolished). Here, maverick space travelers set out to save the planet Druidia, which is being harassed by the Spaceballs, a sinister group attempting to pilfer Druidia's air resources. Among the many gags and jokes is a hilarious parody of a classic scene from ALIEN. Mel Brooks himself makes one of his funniest acting appearances as Yogurt, a send-up of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK's Yoda.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Mel Brooks - Director
Mel Brooks
John Candy
Rick Moranis
Bill Pullman
Daphne Zuniga
Dick Van Patten
George Wyner
Michael Winslow
Joan Rivers
Lorene Yarnell
Details
- Format: Blu-ray (Pan & Scan)
- Run Time: 96
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 883904241041
- Genre: COMEDIES
- Rating: PG (MPAA)
- Release Date: May 2011
Movie Reviews
Notes:
Clyde Leiberman cowrote the SPACEBALLS theme with director Mel Brooks and Jeff Pascetto. (Brooks often cowrites the music for his films.)
Reviews:
"...An ambitious sendup....Gentle, harmless satire than occasionally has real bite..." - 06/24/1987 New York Times, p.C23
"...Amusing sight gags..." - 06/24/1987 Variety
"...Often underrated is this comedy's dead-on production design..." - 04/30/1996 USA Today, p.8D
"[T]he meta-merchandising send-ups are inspired chuckles that get funnier with age." - 05/01/2005 Premiere, p.106
"The spoofs on marketing tie-ins and insecure tyrants have grown even more relevant..." - 05/13/2005 Entertainment Weekly, p.70
3 stars out of 5 -- "Painfully punny and overcooked to perfection....It's the gloriously loony ALIEN send-up with John Hurt that's the biggest gut-buster." - 05/01/2012 Total Film