Robin Hood: Men in Tights Movie Review

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

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Written by: J.D. Shapiro & Evan Chandler  (story), Mel Brooks & Evan Chandler & J.D. Shapiro (screenplay)
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Starring: Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Amy Yasbeck, Dave Chappelle, Isaac Hayes, Tracey Ullman
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
A spoof of Robin Hood in general, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) in particular.

Verdict
I don't care for parody slapstick movies. This isn't much more than one-liners and gags assembled together to resemble a movie. While it's amusing, I want a movie with story. There just isn't much to this because it exists only to capitalize on the success of another movie.
Skip it.

Review
While slapstick isn't my favorite genre, having recently watch both Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Naked Gun, I had to watch this again. This movie is almost entirely a reaction to Prince of Thieves. It's not really about anything, using the previous movie as fodder for a series of gags.

Cary Elwes plays Robin Hood

The fiery arrows creating the credits lead right into setting a village on fire, again we're told. This is crammed with wordplay and visual gags. Multiple times it notes that this Robin (Cary Elwes) has an English accent, a direct jab at Costner's depiction. Robin is aided by Blinkin, his blind servant, and Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle) son of Asneeze.

This isn't a movie you watch for the story, production, or scale. This is comedy top to bottom, beginning to end. Since the most important element of a movie for me is story, it's difficult for me to really like this. It's just not my genre. This borrows the story from another movie, and makes fun of nearly every aspect. Robin's goal is to regain his father's land. Along the way he also recruits Little John, Will Scarlett, and a Rabbi that specializes in circumcisions.

Robin can't miss the archery tournament, held just to draw him out so that a Godfather type mafioso can assassinate him. Robin wins the contest with a Patriot missile type arrow after a dispute as to whether he could actually lose. He's arrested, but Maid Marion (Amy Yasbeck) agrees to marry the Sheriff to spare him. She's been searching in vain for the man that has the key to her chastity belt. It's a reoccurring gag, and foils the Sheriff's plans.

If you like silly humor, that's all this movie is. It has a few quotable lines, but not enough to make this worth watching. I'd rather something with more story.