One of the Best Parody Movies of the 90s is Free to Watch on Tubi Right Now
It's Mel Brooks at his directorial best – no matter what the critics might tell you.
Summary
- It's a classic tale with a twist.
- Don't worry about what the critics say.
- Embrace the silliness that Mel Brooks brings to screen.
What Mel Brooks doesn't know about satire and parody isn't worth knowing. From The Producers to The History of the World Pt. 1, he's created some hilarious moments in film and will always be remembered as one of the greats of comedy.
In the 70's and 80's, he enjoyed playing around with parody adaptations of other genres. From the western Blazing Saddles to the Star Wars spoof Spaceballs, he poked fun at movies in his own unique style.
Blazing Saddles has a critics' score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 91%. But not all of his spoofs have received such universal praise.
A Mel Brooks take on an Errol Flynn classic
In 1993, Mel Brooks wrote, produced and directed Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It was essentially a comedy re-imagining of the swashbuckling 1938 film starring Errol Flynn, capitalizing on the success of Kevin Costner 's retelling of the story in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Brooks' version of the story (starring Cary Elwes as the legendary outlaw) largely followed the traditional tale of Robin Hood and the usurper Prince John – just with a few more jokes and a subplot involving Maid Marion and a chastity belt.
It featured many examples of Brook's satirical sense of humor and a fair amount of slapstick.
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What the critics said (and why it doesn't matter)
Critics have their own ideas about how to review a movie. And it doesn't always come down to the fairly obvious starting point of 'did I like it?'.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights scores a meager 42% on the Tomatometer and 6.7 on IMDb, with the critics' consensus labeling it 'profoundly silly, and often utterly groan-worthy'.
Err… it's a Mel Brooks movie!
However, they do go on to admit that it 'has an amiable, anything-goes goofiness that has made it a cult favourite'.
See what I mean? They say they don't like it, but deep down they know it has all the elements we want in a parody. Audiences don't expect thought-provoking insights or psychologically challenging twists when they sit down to watch a movie with the words 'Men in Tights' in the title.
What they expect is a lot of laughs, a bit of silliness, and an hour and a bit of utter escapism. This movie delivers that in spades.
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Audiences love it!
The film has a much more respectable audience score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Viewers' opinions on RT were also more complimentary. One called it Mel Brooks' 'best' and said it's 'arguably his most complete movie'.
Another said it was 'timeless' and contained 'so many hilarious jokes'. Elsewhere, the movie has been described as 'funny as hell' and 'totally unpredictable'.
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So forget the headline scores generated by the critics. Even some of those who didn't rate it admit that it's a decent movie that will make you laugh. It's not on the level of Blazing Saddles, but that doesn't make this movie any less watchable.
Men in Tights is a silly flick, and that's what it was always meant to be. So embrace the silliness, let your hair down, and enjoy a parody of a classic story we all know, love, and can laugh at.
Where can I watch it?
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is now available to watch for free on Tubi.
It's also available to buy or rent on:
- Apple TV
- Prime
- Google Play
- YouTube
- Vudu
- Sky Store (UK only)
Source: Rotten Tomatoes.