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      The World's Greatest Lover

      PG 1977 1h 29m Comedy List
      15% 13 Reviews Tomatometer 53% 500+ Ratings Audience Score When a film studio decides to find a movie star to rival celebrity Rudolph Valentino, the company's executives, particularly the imperious Zitz (Dom DeLuise), sponsor a contest to audition aspiring actors. High-strung baker Rudy Hickman (Gene Wilder) enters the competition as Rudy Valentine, and, surprisingly, seems to hold some promise. His obsession with becoming a leading man, however, eventually gets Rudy into serious trouble with his wife, Annie (Carol Kane). Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      kevin w Wilder goes all in with this one, only to flop and flop hard. Still the effort is worth a watch, regrettably proving the old adage about comedy being hardest of all disciplines to master. An incredible, if failed, work. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I recently re-discovered this film when a friend was visiting and wanted to see a comedy. Internet was down so I looked through some old DVDs. It took a few minutes to get involved in the film. But we were soon laughing until we cried! And then later in the film it was actually very touching and we were tearing up from emotion. I would have to describe it as an emotional Rollercoaster, which I consider a true achievement. This now on my all time favorites list. Another highlight that seems to evade mention is the very haunting and touching music and lyrics of the film. The credits show that the songs were also written by Gene Wilder. I am not certain what his inspiration was, but they seem truly inspired by someone in love. They are simple and yet captivating. I found myself humming the tunes days later. And my friend was quoting funny snippets from the film, making us both laugh over a week later! Gene Wilder was a truly gifted person. I would say we got our money's worth out of this classic. I even went to search for it on Blu-ray and was really disappointed to find it has not been remastered as of 2019. That's a shame. I would have liked to see it in a high definition format, even though the film itself is somewhat similar to Young Frankenstein in its purposely muted color pallette. If you are looking for a pleasant surprise, this is a true gem. The simple synopsis of the film cannot convey the depth of humor and tenderness that it embodies. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I can't believe this movie has such a low rating here. This is one of Gene Wilder's funniest movies. When I first saw this movie I knew nothing about it and had zero expectations, which I find often seems to make any movie more enjoyable. Give this movie a chance and I think you will enjoy it. Resist the urge to read descriptive reviews and/or plot summaries. The less you know!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is hilarious. Why the low rating? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Gene Wilder is at his best, but the rest of the movie fails to live up to him. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member The second film written and directed by Gene Wilder after making his debut with the silly and absurd The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975). Here, Wilder makes a tribute to silent comedies his way, but also gives a nod of gratitude to Federico Fellini along the way. It is a very loud and hysterical film but it does have some good old fashioned laughs along the way. In the 1920's, Rainbow Studios head Adolph Zitz (Dom DeLuise) is upset as the studio is losing profit as they don't have Rudolph Valentino, so they decide to hold a contest to find The World's Greatest Lover, a new star to rival Valentino's popularity. Rudy Hickman (Wilder) is an accident prone and neurotic baker from Milwaukee, who travels out to Hollywood with his wife Annie (Carol Kane), so he can take part in the audition. But, Annie has grown tired in their marriage, and when she goes off to find the real Valentino, Rudy's erratic, neurotic nature gets out of hand, especially in the audition, which manages to impress Zitz. Wilder's brand of comedy is more fierce and loud compared to the films he did with Mel Brooks, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it does have some good set pieces throughout, and it manages to capture the era of the 1920's really wonderfully. It's better than what some people make it out to be. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      The World's Greatest Lover

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (13) Critics Reviews
      Gary Arnold Washington Post Wilder's new movie, The World's Greatest Lover, his second venture as star, director and writer, is not very clever at all. Dec 21, 2015 Full Review Donald McLean Bay Area Reporter This soggy excuse for a comedy looks like an old Sid Caesar Show of Shows sketch elongated interminably; there's about ten minutes of funny material to work with, then it falls right on its mugging, leering face. May 6, 2020 Full Review Rick Chatenever Santa Cruz Sentinel Wilder shows sparks of greatness, more as director than actor. But while he seems to have the potential to make excellent films someday, this one will probably be remembered as a brief stop along the way. Oct 1, 2019 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) Despite Gene Wilder's undeniable personality, his work as an actor results inferior when he's directing himself. His parodies lose rhythm and the structure of the script at times results confusing. [Full Review in Spanish] Jul 30, 2019 Full Review Austin Kennedy Sin Magazine In a generation that's filled with cynical, ultra-raunchy, dark comedies, this was refreshing to me. There's a certain innocence in this kind of immature humor that I miss from the movies. Rated: 3/4 May 12, 2012 Full Review Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com A shrill, silly farce that starts out with some funny moments but quickly fizzles and ends up being quite lame. Rated: 4/10 Nov 25, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When a film studio decides to find a movie star to rival celebrity Rudolph Valentino, the company's executives, particularly the imperious Zitz (Dom DeLuise), sponsor a contest to audition aspiring actors. High-strung baker Rudy Hickman (Gene Wilder) enters the competition as Rudy Valentine, and, surprisingly, seems to hold some promise. His obsession with becoming a leading man, however, eventually gets Rudy into serious trouble with his wife, Annie (Carol Kane).
      Director
      Gene Wilder
      Screenwriter
      Gene Wilder
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Apr 4, 2006
      Runtime
      1h 29m