It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Wow, this was a long movie. And not very funny. It's a shame, because the cast was fine (I could do without Buddy Hackett doing a lame Costello impression, which I think is what his career is based on), the direction from Stanley Kramer was decent enough, the premise is rich with comedic potential and the idea of an all-star comedic epic is ambitious in the best possible way. But it's just not funny. It also doesn't help that Ethel Merman is given the role of shrewish mother in law (a cliche people must have been sick of even then) that is so shrill and annoying that you just want her not to be. The cast is neither given enough texture to their character to make them terribly memorable (save for Phil Silvers, but even with him I just wasn't feeling it despite his very game performance and Jonathan Winters has a few moments) and the great premise gives way to lame jokes and set pieces that go on WAY too long. There was no real reason for this to be nearly THREE hours. The final chase scene, though not badly done, just keeps going.
That said, it's a shame the premise didn't yield a better movie and it is understandable why someone would try to remake it with Rat Race, which by all accounts is terrible (it didn't help that the "comedic actors" for the film were largely c-list). I really would like to see someone try a comedy epic again, but I think it would be a pretty hard feat for a number of reasons.
Also the Three Stooges cameo made my heart sad. They just stood there with their dead eyes.
