Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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

nasdowmark I remember watching this in the theater and it being so funny (for so long) that I couldn't breath I was laughing so much. Both my girlfriend and I had to look at the floor of the theater to look away from the screen to try and reduce our laughing because our sides hurt so much.Maybe if I watched it again I might not laugh quite so much but I remember laughing more at this movie than any other. And no, I wasn't a silly teenager at the time, I was in my 30's.I loved the fast, fast pace and the constant stream of jokes and sight gags. It does help if you can pay attention and keep track of everything that is going on. This is not a sophisticated comedy by any means, just a lot of good, clean fun (well, except for the murders). ;-)Just a (very) lot of fun.

blanche-2 If you like the old radio shows, films set in the '30s and mysteries, this should be the film for you. The three things mentioned are favorite things of mine, but alas, I didn't enjoy this movie. The thin plot centers around a Phantom of the Radio (a disembodied voice) who says something sinister over a microphone, and then someone is murdered. Apparently all the people who are murdered worked together at another radio station that was involved in a scandal. One of the writers, Roger Henderson (Brian Benben becomes a suspect. He's the husband - possibly soon to be ex-husband of Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) who manages to somehow keep the station going with no scripts and people dying all around her."Radioland Murders" has a crackerjack cast - besides the above, the cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Ned Beatty, Harvey Korman, George Burns, Scott Michael Campbell, Brion James, Anne DiSalvo - the list goes on.The radio shows (Lloyd's character is the sound effect man), the commercials and the music are absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately the director kept cutting from those elements to something else - either yelling or slapstick or both. The slapstick was incessant. Some slapstick is funny; constant slapstick becomes annoying. Certainly there are ways to show a chaotic, disorganized radio station without papers flying all over the place every two minutes and everyone getting knocked over and screaming. As far as the murders, they happen so quickly and so soon into the film that it was hard to know whom exactly had bought it.The acting is mostly good except for Benben, who for reasons of his own decided to pretend he was a wisecracking guy from the '40s instead of just doing the role. This is the same thing that ruined the "Nero Wolfe" show on A&E - you don't put an era on like a shoe, you ARE in the era, or you come off as being an external actor.Big disappointment. A shame because it had some great elements going for it.

wyethwh Although I usually keep up pretty well with new movie releases, I some how missed this one. I discovered it only after I had gotten my first DVD player and was looking for something I didn't already have on VHS to play on it. What a pleasant surprise. It has a great cast and an interesting story. It reminds me of some of the really good comedy mysteries of the 30's and 40's. Especially Abbott and Costello's "Who Done It" (Which also took place at a radio station) It is a great family film and mine has watched a numerous times. I have also bought copies for relatives that I thought would enjoy it. It may not be an award winner but it is good fun. On the eave of it's nationwide debut a new network is beset by a murderer who sends warnings over that station's airwaves, each of which is followed by a murder. One of the stations writers Roger Henderson (Brian Benben) is a suspect and tries to clear his name and find the real killer with the help of his wife Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson) and the stations pageboy, Billy (Scott Campbell).

DominickMEvans The year 1939 was a hectic year for radio especially if you were working at WBN. At the time, WBN, a small, fictional station set in Chicago, Illinois was to become the fourth national radio network in the United States. Everyone was ready for the big night. The investors were relaxing in the lounge awaiting a good show. The writers were rewriting their scripts and the actors were poised and ready.WBN was going to make a huge splash as the number four station in the nation! Well that is, if anyone was alive by the end of the night. There seemed to be a small problem at WBN during the national premiere. The problem was murder. There were numerous problems. Murder really was not the only one.This farcical comedy has all the elements to make you laugh, shock you, and leave you satisfied if you're looking at it from a non-traditional view.Multiple plots weave throughout Radioland Murders that all revolve around the WBN national broadcast. The story begins with a soon-to-be divorced husband (Roger) and wife (Penny), played by Mary Stuart Masterson (of Fried Green Tomatoes fame) and Brian Benben (from Dream On).It seems that Roger Henderson had a roving eye, which landed him flat on his back. The real problem, though, was that his loving wife Penny caught him with the Va-Va-Voom girl, Claudette Katsenback (Anita Morris). While Penny tried to keep WBN organized as the station manager's secretary, Roger ignored his writing duties in an attempt to get his wife back.Soon we are introduced to the director, Walt Whalen Jr. (played by Jeffrey Tambor). Walt Whalen Jr. is only the director because Walt Whalen Sr. (Ned Beatty) is the owner of the WBN network. Junior isn't a very good director.If you're in the film industry you can't help but laugh at his inept ability to direct or even make simple decisions for himself. Many times Whalen looks on with his trademark blank stare as he adjusts his toupee, whimpering over the need to decide whether to cue music or the announcer. Usually it is up to Penny to chime in with the proper direction.This is just the tip of the iceberg. One of the band members dies on stage. The scripts are horrible and late arriving after having to be re-written at the last minute and everyone is in an emotional rush. To make matters worse, a strange voice keeps coming over the intercom and no one knows where it is coming from. All they do know is that someone gets popped every time they hear the voice and no one knows who is going to be next.They also know that every time someone is murdered, the person attached to the scene of the crime is Roger Henderson. Sure, Roger is bumbling, clumsy, and maybe even untrustworthy (just ask his wife), but a murderer? Radioland Murders takes you through the performance on the scene as they try to determine who is murdering the staff of WBN and who is going to be next.It clocks in at close to two hours. If you are a fan of farcical comedies, it will feel like the movie is just the right length. You don't feel rushed and the multiple plots are entertaining as you watch them unfold. Whether you are trying to guess who did it during this whodunit or not, the character development will amuse you.Celebrities fill the lineup in this movie from well known names like Masterson, George Burns (this was his last movie) and Rosemary Clooney to many names you won't recognize that are attached to people with faces that will look all too familiar.If you're a fan of vintage ideas and radio shows you will find this movie to be a treat. This type of movie is rare, as is its fan base, so this movie will not appeal to everyone. If you are a fan of the movie Noises Off, then Radioland Murders should be right up your alley.The critics were not fond of this movie when it came out and many wondered what George Lucas was thinking when he came up with the idea. However, you cannot always believe the hype of critics and if you are one that this type of movie appeals to. you will be in theatrical heaven.I went in not sure what to expect. I was expecting more of a drama because of the movie's title. By nature I am a much bigger fan of dramas than comedies. This one hit me by surprise though. I began laughing almost immediately and continued to do so most of the way through. It was not the typical movie by any stretch, but that is what made it worth watching.I recommend you check it out as a rental before you buy it. If you like it, buy it. It is one of those movies, which you will want to watch more than once. This is especially true if you get the meaning, the context, and the slapstick enjoyment from the melodrama of the radio celebrities in Radioland Murders.I give it four stars.