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Life Stinks
Studio: MGM
Year: 1991
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 92 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (1.85:1)
and Full Frame (1.33:1) transfers.
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
Goddard Bolt is a stinkin' rich billionaire who
makes his money in real estate at the expense of
helpless people he could care nothing about. In
fact, his latest plan is to develop a plot of land
he owns in downtown Los Angeles -- an absolute
slum area filled with homeless people that would
be driven out. Bolt's only obstacle in claiming
the property is Vance Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor),
a sleazy competitor who owns half the property that
Bolt wants to obtain.
So begins the bet. Vance proposes that if Bolt
was stripped of his riches and can survive in the
streets for 30 days, he would hand over his share
of the property. Bolt takes the bet and is dumped
on the streets where he soon befriends three
desolate bums, Molly (Lesley Ann Warren), Sailor
(Howard Morris) and Fumes (Teddy Wislon). These
three homeless people manage to teach Bolt some
valuable lessons about life and love.
While the concept of this film must have looked
great on paper, one can't help but miss the days
when Mel Brooks was considered the absolute king
of comedy. You would think that as writer, producer
and director of this film, Mel would set himself
insanely loose. Instead, it seems that the funnyman
is intent on turning a more serious cheek, and for
that, his fans will be most disappointed.
How is the transfer?
Picture quality is above average. The print is
in great condition showing no wear or tear
whatsoever. There is slight evidence of negligible
background noise. The only problems I see in the
transfer is that it tends to look muddy and slightly
unfocused in some of the street scenes. Colors are
also slightly muted giving the film a dated look.
Flesh tones also tend to run very red giving
characters a sunburned appearance.
Sound is very clear and bright. The Dolby Surround
track really helps the ambience of this film. Since
most all of it takes place out in the streets, the
rears are constantly providing the sounds of city
life. Dialogue rests mainly in the center channel,
bleeding slightly to the fronts. I didn't notice
any LFE activity here.
Special Features
MGM has released Life Stinks in both
Widescreen and Full Frame versions which can be
selected off of the main menu.
It's a shame that MGM just released The Producers
and Brooks chose this film to do a full-length
commentary for. Joining Brooks are writers
Rudy De Luca and Steve Haberman. The great thing
about getting comedy writers together in one room
is that they all have a great time together, throwing
jokes off of one another. This is no exception.
This commentary is little more than a bunch of guys
laughing at each other's screen antics and some of
the veteran actors they worked with. Perhaps it's a
good thing that this commentary never gets technical,
though it would have been better if there weren't as
many long gaps of complete silence. These guys fondly
recall what it was like to film on location amidst
the smell of urine and car fumes. We learn that it
was a tough job to cast the female lead for this
film, and Mel was very proud of the fact that they
finally found Lesley Ann Warren. I was surprised
that Brooks never really addressed the issues of
playing a homeless person -- especially since this
film has such a strong message about them. To be
honest, Mel's time would have been better spent
doing a commentary for The Producers
Could this be? A brand-new featurette? You betcha!
Does Life Really Stink? brings together Brooks,
De Luca and Haberman as they talk about how this film
came about. Brooks felt that this film represents
his best work as it addresses a very serious social
issue in our society. He felt that he could make
this film into a successful comedy while getting out
an important message in the process. The three
writers humorously talk about what it was like to
get into a room together, yelling and screaming, in
an effort to throw around ideas and write a script.
We learn that there were many veteran actors who
came out to the casting calls, and the writers found
it very difficult to narrow down their choices for
the few parts that were available. Being a writer
himself, Brooks was very receptive to the fact that
his writing staff was always on the set -- ready to
fix any dialogue or joke that did not work.
(length: approx. 14 minutes)
The film's original theatrical trailer is
included here as well as the promotional trailer
for The Producers Special Edition DVD release.
Final Thoughts
I'll give credit to Mel Brooks for pulling away
from his normal insanity and trying something a
little more subtle. Unfortunately, the film has
very few laughs and struggles to remain even
entertaining by its third act. If you are a
die-hard fan of the Mel Brooks it won't hurt to
check this film out. It would certainly be an
opportunity to see the "kinder and gentler" Brooks
in action.
Release Date: February 18, 2003
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality
