Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

mark.waltz While Stephen Sondheim has revealed that he prefers writing music to lyrics, I couldn't imagine anybody else writing the lyrics to the musicals he has written. Unfortunately, in the case of the movie version of the 1962 smash musical farce, most of his songs are missing and other than a few, they lack the punch of what was on stage. This is far from his best score, as it is extremely light-hearted, almost a burlesque of what Rodgers and Hart had written for the similarly themed "The Boys From Syracuse". Still, it is definitely his funniest musical which was a definite influence for "The Frogs" which he wrote a decade later but didn't get produced on Broadway until the mid 2000's. I refer to that show as "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Hades".Having seen two stage productions of "A Funny Thing Happened", I couldn't help but notice that the show simply couldn't be produced on film any other way than it has been. It is a show for a bawdy comic (hense Zero Mostel's presence as the narrator in the original), basically the type of show that funny men like Bobby Clark, Jackie Gleason and Bert Lahr might have done 20 years before. To re-create that on film looses the impact and it would have come off as too silly where while on stage an actor can ad-lib. Case in point, when I saw Whoopie Goldberg play the character of Pseudolous in the late 1990's, she ad-libbed quite a bit, to late patrons, to actors who forgot their lines, and to the whole silliness of the action on stage.Actually, Pseudelous is a man, not a free one, so to try to make something funny out of slavery is a difficult task. This is ancient Rome, however, so there's a lot to spoof. You couldn't do this about Southern slaves, but ancient times are ripe for parody. The cast is filled with funny people, including Mostel repeating his Tony winning role (which he wouldn't get to do for "Fiddler on the Roof"), Phil Silvers (who later won a Tony for playing Pseudelous in the first revival), Jack Gilford and Buster Keaton in his last film role. Just count the laughs Keaton gets for running around the seven hills of Rome seven times and giving the count to Mostel as he passes him. Gilford gets to repeat his stage part as the nervous Hysterium, and how can you not adore this gentle funny faced man? This is also of historical interest because of the fact that Mostel and Gilford had major comebacks after a period of blacklisting, sort of a public apology for the ridiculousness of the anti-red scare of a decade before. The role of Hero is played by none other than the future "Phantom of the Opera", Michael Crawford, in one of two movie musicals he did. He's quite unrecognizable in retrospective of his "Phantom" fame, but is low-key and shy when singing "Lovely" to the dizzy heroine, Annette Andre. British character actor Michael Hordern is appropriately lecherous as Psudelous's master with Patricia Jessel totally imperious as the rightly named Dominia. Unfortunately gone is Dominia's song, "That Dirty Old Man", which in retrospect is a perfect stage song yet might have been questionable if included in the film. Leon Greene as the General looks straight out of an Italian gladiator movie. The courtesans are properly tall and sexy and the element of farce is apparent throughout. Unfortunately, it's one of those movie musicals which for those who have seen it on stage has to be considered a missed opportunity. The problem is obviously not in its casting. That element is perfect. The problem is in the execution of how the film was done.The musical highlight has to be the inclusion of the show's biggest show-stopper, "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid", which just gets bawdier and bawdier as characters join in the number that initially just starts with Mostel and Hordern. So while the film is far from perfect, it does have a few highlights, but perhaps this is one hit Broadway show that just couldn't be done as written so we have to accept what we got.

SnoopyStyle The movie takes place in ancient Rome around three adjacent houses. In the house of Erronius , the children have been stolen by pirates. In the house of Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers), he is a buyer and seller of beautiful women. In the house of Senex, Roman senator Senex lives with his domineering wife Domina and their dim son Hero (Michael Crawford). When Hero falls for beautiful virgin courtesan Philia (Annette Andre) from next door, their house slave Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) makes a deal with Hero to get the girl in exchange for his freedom. Only the girl has already been sold to Captain Miles Gloriosus (Leon Greene).It's comedic musical with a lot of old hands at the wheel. It's adapted from the Broadway musical which itself is inspired by ancient Roman farces. The comedy isn't quite funny. Zero Mostel is running around like a scheming mad man only he could. The problem is that the characters are all unlikeable. The scheming and running around get too chaotic. The music could have saved it but all of them are forgettable and unfunny. It's just a throughly weak comedy.

Lee Eisenberg Transpose "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" to ancient Rome and you basically have "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". This story of a slave (Zero Mostel) having to help arrange a romance between two people is worth watching just for the chase scene at the end. If you've been to Spain or Italy, it's neat to see the sites again. But above all, this is what 1960s humor is all about. They must have had fun filming this movie. And personally, I think that it's a good idea that they cut down the musical aspect and left it a straightforward comedy. You're sure to have more than a few laughs.Also starring Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford, Jack Gilford, Buster Keaton, Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt.

pyrocitor As the popularity of big budget Broadway musicals grew over the course of the 1960s, it was inevitable that a series of corresponding film adaptations would follow - a more affordable and easily mass marketed alternative. As such, while it may not have been one of the most well known stage musicals, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had proved a sufficient hit to make an intelligent transfer to the big screen. And while fans of the live show may find the film somewhat lacking in scope or creative vision, the resulting zany, energetic comic romp is sufficiently cheerful and endearing to easily entertain nonetheless.While Sondheim's musical numbers seem scarce (the majority of the Broadway show's numbers are noticeably excluded cut from the film) and lacking in the energetic zest which would bring them to life with the same engaging spark as a live show or other efforts in the genre, the few tunes prove sufficiently catchy and executed with enough endearing charm to make up for their somewhat lacklustre quality. However, the film truly reaches its potential on the irreverent comedy front, never presuming to take itself overly seriously with breaches of the fourth wall, (including the number "Comedy Tonight", an amusing prologue where Mostel introduces the principle locations and characters, one of the film's highlights) and a madcap final chase sequence which visibly takes influence from the similarly bawdy What's New Pussycat. Director Richard Lester, his musical credentials seasoned by numerous film adaptations of The Beatles, experiments with several similar sequences of blindingly fast editing and cartoon backgrounds, used to suitably comedic effect. Of course the cunning script's requisite slew of slapstick gags and witty repartee proves the film's real highlight, though the period sets and costumes prove comparatively expansive and impressive given the period in which the film was made, suitably immersing the viewer within the realm of ancient Rome. The film's inspired casting lend comedic credulity to the film, bringing the script's cheerful irreverence to life with enthusiastic silliness and charm to spare. Reprising his starring role from the Broadway production, Zero Mostel is nothing less than a scream as cunning slave Pseudolus, a bundle of comedic energy and hysterical mannerisms whose mere presence lights up the screen and makes the movie immediately more enjoyable. Jack Gilford similarly raises many a laugh as bewildered and constantly put upon slave Hysterium, as does Phil Silvers as a quirky brothel owner. Buster Keaton, tragically in his last screen performance is delightfully hysterical in a tiny role as a doddering old man prone to superstitious laps around the city, and while Keaton is given little character to work with, his mere persona and tremendous presence make him hilarious regardless. While bestowed with little character, the lovely Annette Andre adds class and distinction to the film while making quality use of her few comedic lines as ethical virgin Philia, and Michael Crawford is just silly enough without quite going overboard as the young noble who becomes smitten with her. While lacking the profundity of some of Sondheim's later musical efforts and the vivacious splendour of other such musical adaptations, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum offers unapologetic entertainment to a nearly unprecedented degree, excelling as a comedy if not as a movie musical. With delightful performances aplenty, (especially Zero Mostel's dynamo of a performance) the film may have little particularly memorable about it, but proves a suitably joyful and charming diversion, easily worth experiencing for those seeking a warm smile on their face above all else. -7/10