Simply put, this is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time, although it seemed very similar to It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (G, 1963)... which I don't have a review for! I have to say, I loved every second of this! It involves a great variety of slapstick, irony, and more, to keep you laughing the whole time! Ippolit Vorobyaninov was a member of the royal family in Russia until the revolution, when he and his mother fled to a safe distance. Now, Vorobyaninov's mother is on her death bed, and has a confession to make. A long time ago, she hid the precious family jewels, each worth more than one can imagine, in twelve chairs located in the old house. The greedy Vorobyaninov decides to return to Russia, where he meets his wacky old servant, Tikon (Mel Brooks) and is recruited by the crafty, street smart Ostap Bender (Frank Langella), who uses the persuasion of blackmail (involving Vorobyaninov's true identity). The movie begins to get interesting as the plot complicates: not only are the chairs no longer located in the old mansion, but another greedy character, the rabbi Vorobyaninov's mother confessed to, Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) has decided he wants to steal the jewels for himself! If you don't think that's crazy enough, you'll just have to see this movie for yourself! I would recommend this as a rental; it's a safe pick, and you probably wouldn't want to watch this again afterwards. In conclusion, see this movie in the future, you won't regret it.
