Rodney Dangerfield was a very funny man. He was also notably crude. Dangerfield is Monty a gluttonous, boorish fool. Monty’s very wealthy mother-in-law dies and in her will leaves everything her daughter, Monty’s wife. There is a catch, in order to get the wealth; Monty must remain straight for one straight year. No booze, no drugs, no swearing and no women. He must live a perfectly clean life.

This film stoops pretty low for its jokes. This is par for the course with Dangerfield and is expected. To be fair although the jokes are filthy, the humor is clever and smart. This should have been a hollow star vehicle but it out performs expectation. The morality of the film is, of course, very shaky. Yes, Monty becomes a better person by removing vice from his life but these improvements are mostly cosmetic. He is essentially the same guy at the beginning of the film as he is at the end. There’s no huge transformation of his person. This being the case, the ending of the film is labored. Dangerfield’s charm glosses over these critical flaws and is probably the reason why Monty doesn’t seem to change too much. Dangerfield’s persona as the quintessential likable loser makes Monty approachable even when he is being a detestable lout. Since he’s not despicable at the beginning there is little to see as being transformed by his change throughout the film other than the superficial stuff.

This absolutely isn’t for everyone. If you’re a fan of Dangerfield’s other films, this one is of the same vein. If you’re sensitive to adult humor then you’re going to way to avoid this film like the plague.


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Other Critic’s Reviews:
Roger Ebert
eFilmCritic

Labels: film, Joe Pesci, movie review, Rodney Dangerfield