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Rating: 0.5 out of 5
I have seen several Mel Brooks films, and I like many of them. Blazing Saddles is an instant classic and one of the funniest movies ever made. It has to be in the top five of the funniest movies ever. Young Frankenstein is another film that is a joy and will have you gasping for air because of how funny it is. What can I say about Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights? I enjoyed those films. Brooks is a master at parody films, and they don’t leave you wondering like the parody films of today.
With that said, Dracula: Dead and Loving It was absolute trash. I felt disappointed and mostly confused at what I was watching. There were zero laughs in the whole film. Another spoof from the mind of Mel Brooks; this time, it’s Dracula’s turn. The film begins with Thomas Renfield (MacNicol) meeting with Count Dracula (Nielsen). The townspeople warn him, but his stupidity lets him continue on. After meeting the strange Count along with his two very strange but beautiful wives, Renfield falls under the spell of Dracula and becomes even stupider. The pair embark for England with the recent purchase of Carfax Abbey. Dracula soon sets his sights and terror on his next-door neighbor, head psychiatrist, Dr. Seward (Korman), his lovely daughter, Mina (Yasbeck), and her friend, Lucy Westenra (Anthony). When Lucy becomes sick, the family call upon Professor Van Helsing (Brooks) to put an end to the Count once and for all.
I watched this film when I was younger and thought it was way funnier than it needed to be. Now that I am older, this film was a complete waste of time. It is a tiresome and unwanted attempt to turn a classic horror book and even movie into a comedy. It just didn’t come off well. The story is pretty much the same as the regular Dracula film. Most of the characters are missing, and some scenes changed, but overall, the story is still the same and awful.
What was up with the jokes? Oh, the jokes fell flat so hard that I think I sat in my chair and wanted to slam my head into my desk. There wasn’t a single moment where I chuckled, smiled, or even laughed. The jokes were bland, making us wonder why Brooks even made this film. There were times when I wanted to rise from my chair and turn off the film. Somehow, I kept watching because I wondered if it would get a tad bit better. I should’ve known when the movie started that it would be a long film.
I am sorry, but even the acting was terrible from the main cast. Leslie Nielsen, as Count Dracula, seemed to have dropped the ball with this one. For a person who built a career by being funny, this one didn’t live up to his legacy. His delivery was either off, or it just didn’t make any sense with his jokes. I have to include Mel Brooks as Professor Van Helsing in this also. The same goes for him. The one scene where Nielsen and Brooks go back and forth with saying the last word became irritating and lost the effect it wanted within 5 seconds.
The supporting cast was equally bad. Steven Weber as Jonathan Harker was a bore. You made Keanu’s turn in this role look like a masterpiece, which is saying a lot. Peter MacNicol, as Thomas Renfield, was overboard and seemed to be lost in his whole character. Harvey Korman, as Dr. Seward, the way you said raspberry was strange and a little too much. That entire scene was a waste of time, and why give everyone an enema.
Amy Yasbeck as Mina Seward was okay. She was beautiful, and I remember how she was in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I really didn’t mind her. Lysette Anthony, as Lucy Westenra, I have to say that I think you gave me a sexual awakening next to Jessica Rabbit. The scene where Harker said he was British and you said, so are these, I was hooked. Even though Anthony was eye candy for a while, I would be the undead for her.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a film that should stay dead and put a stake through it. The film is far from any of the great works that Brooks has shown before. The acting is meh, and the jokes fall entirely flat. Might as well find something else to watch and move on.
