Life Stinks

PG-13

1991

1h 35m

Comedy

List

21%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Affluent and arrogant businessman Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks), feuding with rival Vance Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor) over a land deal, makes a bet with Crasswell that he has the wits and street smarts to live penniless and anonymous on the rough streets of Los Angeles for 30 days. But Bolt has a rude awakening when the reality of homelessness hits him. Still, he finds a silver lining in a burgeoning romance with Molly (Lesley Ann Warren), a former Broadway dancer who has fallen on hard times.

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Alec B

Brooks' heart is in the right place here and while the movie definitely has problems I think it is better than its reputation. Honestly I prefer Brooks trying something new rather than just making another spoof.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Steve D

...so does the film. Not a laugh to be had.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This story of a rich developer that agrees to live in the slums of Los Angeles for thirty (30) days as part of a bet has many similarities to the Eddie Murphy classic of the 1980's. Simply not as funny. This is not Mel Brooks at his funniest, or best, but there is something here. First of all there is heart in this one. Brooks does something similar to what Trading Places does, and that is finds humanity in all people. Secondly, there are some very funny moments in the movie-just not enough. The characters have a Brooks' flare. I have always said that Mel Brooks' best works are when he collaborated with someone else: Wilder in Young Frankenstein, or Pryor in Blazing Saddles. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks this is an enjoyable time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I found this movie while watching a recap. It was surprisingly good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There are too many similarities with Trading Places to be a coincidence, but Roger Ebert sees a lineage that goes back further than that. Both movies play with a theme that was the basis of Sullivan's Travels, a movie made in 1941. This is definitely a Mel Brooks movie with the eccentricities that we expect from Brooks. It's funny, enjoyable, but, as with other Brooks' movies, more than unbelievable. While the storyline is familiar, the Mel Brooks touches make it a pleasant journey.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An enjoyable comedy, that will make you laugh at times but may also make you cringe and cry. Although I recommend this movie wholeheartedly to everyone, those who will benefit most from its message would be the richest 1%.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

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Mel Brooks

Director

Mel Brooks

Goddard Bolt

Lesley Ann Warren

Molly

Jeffrey Tambor

Vance Crasswell

Stuart Pankin

Pritchard

Howard Morris

Sailor

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

It’s materialist comedy in the best sense of the word, and when it leads to slapstick involving Thorazine in an overcrowded hospital, Brooks truly hits his stride.

Rated: 2/4

May 24, 2022

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It may take more skill and intelligence to live without money than to make and spend a great deal of it, and that is the buried message of Life Stinks, a warmhearted new comedy from Mel Brooks.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 2/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Supposedly a comedy about humiliation and misery, presented with almost sadistic insensibility. [Full review in Spanish]

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

Harriet Waugh

The Spectator

Lurches from a shocking reality into sentimentality and then to a finale in which it only takes a fairy Goddard to wave his lovely dollar wand and all the derelicts and poor of Los Angeles can live happily ever after in low-cost housing.

Jul 19, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Even comic geniuses are allowed an off-day -- or off-movie, as the case may be -- and Mel Brooks strikes out with this sizable flop.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 8, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Affluent and arrogant businessman Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks), feuding with rival Vance Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor) over a land deal, makes a bet with Crasswell that he has the wits and street smarts to live penniless and anonymous on the rough streets of Los Angeles for 30 days. But Bolt has a rude awakening when the reality of homelessness hits him. Still, he finds a silver lining in a burgeoning romance with Molly (Lesley Ann Warren), a former Broadway dancer who has fallen on hard times.

Director: Mel Brooks
Production Co: Brooksfilms
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.8M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

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