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11 out of 12 people found the following review useful: This stuff is timeless!, 1 November 2001 Author: Paulo Ferrada from Leiden
Textbook example of an underestimated movie.Although one can watch this movie over and over again and laugh every single time and still see something new in it, it's still regarded as just another funny picture. And although the movie has inspired many and added it's quotes and images to the pyche of all it's viewers, Moon Over Parador still hasn't received the acclaim it should. Even the brilliant cast with Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss and Raul Julia, to mention one, is not able to change this perception.But after watching Raul Julia as Roberto Strausmann make Richard Dreyfus an offer he can't refuse in a meatlocker by reading him a good review of a part that he once played one can only come to one conclusion: this stuff is timeless! In fifty years we will have the proof.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A Gem, 26 July 2005 Author: PWNYCNY from United States
This movie contains one of Richard Dreyfuss's greatest performances, as an actor who plays a dictator and does it so convincingly that his own mother does not detect the impostor. Also, this movie is funny, yet has a serious side as well. What is especially intriguing about this movie is the character Madonna, who is the dictator's mistress, but eventually becomes the leader of the country. Madonna's evolution from mistress to political leader added greatly to the quality of the story and to the movie's entertainment value. And the main character, who at the start of the movie is a struggling actor and somewhat of a buffoon, evolves too and by the end of the movie commands respect. I liked this movie.
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Under-rated film that doesn't take itself seriously, 14 July 2001 Author: Hazel Freeman (hazel_freeman@yahoo.co.uk) from Cambridge England
Paul Mazursky's film is under-rated in my opinion; maybe because the film never takes itself seriously.The Dictator of a South American state dies suddenly. An American actor, Jack Noah, played by Richard Dreyfuss, happens to be there and is forced to pretend to be the Dictator until the henchmen can arrange a political transition. This all emerges early on and I thought the rest of the film was going to be pretty obvious and repetitive. But in fact some quite clever issues are brought out, as Noah begins to enjoy his role and tries to bring in social reforms.Aides working closely with the Dictator notice the substitution, of course, but decide to keep quiet for the sake of self-preservation. The director of the film himself appears as the Dictator's dragon-like motherThe film never attempts to draw out the serious issues in any depth, but I think it manages to be an intelligent thriller and a fun comedy at the same time.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: So right about actors!, 24 November 2002 Author: sancho01 (sancho@iglou.com) from Fairfield, OH
As a community theater actor who works hard at it but doesn't take acting too seriously, I'm always amused by those who treat it as Great Art. This movie skewers the "Actor's Craft" mercilessly while dishing up a lot of good laughs.A ham actor on location for a movie bears a resemblance to the dictator. When the dictator dies of a heart attack from too much drink and food, the actor is kidnapped and forced to play "the part of a lifetime" by the neo-Nazi head of the secret service. He plays it to the hilt, gets the dictator's girlfriend to fall in love with him and vice versa, and turns the tables on his captors beautifully.Lots of great shtick by the leads, lots of good work by some unknown supporting actors, particularly the household staff and two members of the palace guard, and fun little cameos abound. Sammy Davis Jr. makes light of himself, Jonathan Winters plays a semi-retired American businessman with something else going on, and Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, and above all Richard Dreyfuss are exceptional.This is a dumb movie, but it has lots of beautiful locations (in Brazil), a humorous script, and good actors doing their thing and looking like they're actually having fun and not going through the usual existential angst about what is only play-acting!
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Great Comedic Thrills In Backward Banana Republic!, 25 December 2005 Author: Kieran Greene from Ireland(originally Scotland)
Superb comic farce from Paul Mazursky, Richard Dreyfuss, plays Jack Noah a fairly successful actor- who is On location shooting a film in a fictitious Latin American banana republic Parador,Ruled by the Fascist, Alfonse Sims who unfortunately has succumbed of a heart attack after indulging in too many local cocktails! Raul Julia plays the oily chief of police who forces the reluctant Noah To impersonate the Just deceased dictator who Noah bears a remarkable resemblance, Sonia Braga plays the dictator's glamorously lusty mistress, who gives Noah a few lessons in how to 'act' like a dictator, Jonathan Winter's literally rounds off the cast as a CIA man In Parador posing as a hammock salesman. Can Noah win over the people of Parador? and hold off the rebels? And give the performance of a lifetime without losing his in the process? Sammy Davis Jnr,has a cameo as himself who amusingly croons the national anthem of Parador as well as Begin the Beguine, Frog Number one(Fernando Rey pops up as a kindly servant, Charo is also on hand as A busty maid, The score by Maurice Jarre,is excellent.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Wildly Funny Send-Up of 'Royal Pretender' Theme..., 28 September 2003 Author: Ben Burgraff (cariart) from Las Vegas, Nevada
MOON OVER PARADOR, Paul Mazursky's follow-up to the brilliant 'social class' comedy, DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS (1986), reteams the director with star Richard Dreyfuss, in one of the funniest 'Look-alike on the Throne' comedies of the past two decades. The theme (a stand-in replaces an incapacitated or unavailable leader) has been a popular subject in film for years (THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, I WAS MONTY'S DOUBLE, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, and DAVE are just a few examples), but Mazursky gives it a novel twist by making the 'hero' a ham actor of epic proportion (and NOBODY plays an egotistical actor better than Dreyfuss!), and the 'villain', a ruthless advisor who is a frustrated director, as well (Raul Julia, who is wickedly funny in the role).The comic chemistry between the pair works so well that you could easily mistake the film as being written by Neil Simon! Parador, a tiny Caribbean nation where English is the national language, and revolution, the national pastime, is ruled with an iron hand by President Simms (Dreyfuss, with a moustache, paunch, and swarthy complexion). A larger-than-life, womanizing scoundrel, Simms is controlled, in turn, by opportunistic Secret Police chief Roberto Strausmann (Julia). Making a social visit to a American movie set, the dictator meets the picture's star, Jack Noah (Dreyfuss, again), who is goaded by his castmates into doing his popular over-the-top impression of the leader (fortunately for Noah, Simms finds it amusing). After the shooting wraps, Noah, encouraged by a local American 'businessman' (Jonathan Winters, in a funny cameo), decides to stay for a few days to indulge at a national festival. Meanwhile, Simms is being soundly condemned by Strausmann for his public affair with Madonna, a notorious prostitute (played by Sonia Braga), as well as for his unhealthy lifestyle...and the dictator keels over and dies! Things look bad for Strausmann, until he remembers the American...and Jack Noah is about to be 'drafted' to play the role of his career... Full of humorous references to Broadway (Strausmann has reviews of EVERY play Noah had ever appeared in...and quotes some of the more 'colorful' ones, to the actor's chagrin), sight gags (Noah, as Simms, starts the befuddled household staff on a program of aerobics), and cameos (Sammy Davis Jr. sings Parador's 'National Anthem', and Mazursky, himself, appears in drag, as Simm's mother), MOON OVER PARADOR is a comic gem, with an over-the-top climax (which would be 'lifted' for Ivan Reitman's 'American President' comedy, DAVE), and a bittersweet ending that will certainly bring a smile to all but the most jaded viewer. This film is DEFINITELY a keeper!
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Moon Over Parador, 9 June 1999 Author: Tim Cox from Marietta, OH
Hilarious comedy with Dreyfuss playing an actor who is asked by tough guy Julia to impersonate a dictator who has turned cold and very dead. Lots of laughs to be credited to director Mazursky, who makes an appearance in drag as the dictator's mother.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: "The Kiss of the Spider Woman": the flip side, 11 November 2006 Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA
While "The Kiss of the Spider Woman" cast Raul Julia as a political prisoner in an unidentified Latin American country, this time he works for a dictator in a fictional Latin American country. Specifically, the dictator suddenly drops dead, so Julia replaces el presidente with a Broadway actor (Richard Dreyfuss) shooting a movie in the country. From there, Dreyfuss has to figure out how to be a dictator, all the while balancing it with his own life.Is it appropriate to turn the tense situation in Latin America into comedy? Well, "Moon Over Parador" does a good job with it. No matter what they do in this movie, they pull it off. It just goes to show why Richard Dreyfuss is one of the greatest actors of our era, and what we lost when Raul Julia died. Definitely worth seeing. Also starring Sonia Braga (who co-starred with Raul Julia in "TKOTSW"), Jonathan Winters and Sammy Davis Jr.I agree: the first lady is hot.
Neither fish nor fowl... among other problems, 16 December 2009 Author: Wizard-8 from Victoria, BC
First of all, I should mention that I didn't hate this movie. I'll admit there are a few positive things I can say about it. The location shooting is pretty good, giving the feel that this is a real banana republic. The multiple crowd shooting is pretty impressive. And there is very little that might be considered offensive by more sensitive viewers.But despite all this, the movie didn't work for me overall. First of all is the tone. It seems to be trying to be funny at times, but there are a number of scenes where the tone is serious. In the end, the movie doesn't work as either a drama or a comedy.I suspect the intention was to make this a comedy... but I didn't find the comedy to be very funny. There are celebrity cameos, but nothing is done to exploit their humor. The other attempts at humor lack edge to what should have been wild humor for a wild situation.The script should have been worked on some more, not just with the attempts at humor. The bulk of the movie is one big flashback of the protagonist... so we KNOW he will be okay at the end of his adventure. The love relationship is poorly developed, and the love seems to bloom overnight. And the movie is dragged out for 105 minutes, when it should have been cut down to be more snappy.If you like this movie, fine - I'll defend your right to like this movie, which seems to be how most IMDb users feel about it. Just respect the right that there is a small population that the movie didn't do anything for.
paul mazursky, 8 September 2008 Author: wbgolfer from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Paul was totally ripped off by someone at paramount who made Dave. It's the same story, not as funny though.Paul related to me this morning about the scene were sammy davis sings the new national anthem of parador. he arrived in brazil after a long flight from vegas, three planes, car ride to the set, etc. he was beat. he could hardly stand, had to use a cane. he was staying in a trailer about the size of my bathroom.he didn't know he could do it. then he saw the crowd of 6000 extras,paid 7 bucks. he came to life and they shot that scene for two hours. he was magnificent, then nearly collapsed.paul is a great guy, though very liberal. a real talent.
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