Boris and Natasha (1992 TV Movie) User Reviews

better than the Rocky & Bullwinkle movie, but...

[robot-cat · 5/10 · 18 February 2004]

that's not saying much.

made with less than 1/100th of what was spent on the mega-disaster, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle.

It's not a great film by far, but it's certainly enjoyable at times.

I liked it, I'll even occasionally play the video, while I'm working on something, but i can't recommend it because it has a tendency to drag.

If you're a fan of SCTV, you may enjoy seeing Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, and John Candy, of if, like me, you're a Rocky & Bullwinkle fan, then you might get a laugh or two, but don't expect much.

(slightly biased) 5/10 or **(out of 4)

Silly Movie made to be silly

[jfarms1956 · 4/10 · 6 April 2013]

I would guess this film would bring smiles to those 12 and older. Natasha Looks like the Bullwinkle and Rocky Natasha. Boris is not fat enough to remind me of the Bullwinkle and Rocky Boris. Fearless Leader is close to the Bullwinkle and Rocky Fearless Leader. This film is silly, but it is supposed to be silly. After all, true to character, Boris and Natasha are silly. The film does maintain comic book character. This would be a great film for teen parties and slumber parties. It is not a great film nor is it bad. It will leave you with a tickle/giggle. After all, that is its purpose. No hard thinking here. Loved John Candy here; loved his hair (could not believe the hair). Bring the pizza. Bring the soda. Let's get ready for a silly movie. Four thumbs.

Sally Kellerman IS the movie

[danindenver · 4/10 · 27 November 2003]

She acts, she sings, she models, she produces! This is a live action movie based on a silly cartoon. Spy spoof movies are plentiful and generally don't have the best reputation. This one works as a takeoff of a popular cartoon. It is not, however, about the moose-and-squirrel. It is about Sally Kellerman. If you want to enjoy this lanky bombshell at her best, this is the place to be.

Surprising... and funny!

[griffin84 · 30 April 2003]

I saw this movie when I was fairly young, assuming that it was based off of my favorite cartoon, "Rocky & Bullwinkle". However, when I watched it, I realized just how funny it is. My favorite part has got to be the narrator, who plays right into the role of the narrator on the popular cartoon series. Though it's hard to find and probably isn't out on DVD yet, I really recommend this movie to anyone who is even slightly familiar with the cartoon series; they will be surprised, but not disappointed.

Sally saves the day!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 11 July 2020]

When they announced in the early 1990's that Sally Kellerman was being cast as Eastern European cartoon character Natasha Fatale in a live-action film, I told my friends, now that is perfect casting. Unfortunately what ended up on cable TV as it somehow skipped a movie theater release is a weak comedy that is only saved by the presence of Kellerman every time that she is on screen, which fortunately is for the majority of the film. Dave Thomas, as Boris Badinoff, seems to be playing the real Boris's thin twin brother, and lacks the campy quality of the character as seen back in 1959.

The premise has Boris and Natasha defecting from Pottsylvania as a part of a plot by "Fearless Leader" to rid himself of his two most incompetent spies as part of his own secret mission, searching for a secret microchip. His scheme goes amok when somehow Natasha ends up as a top model whose short hairstyle influences famous movie stars (initial M.S.) to change their own style, a sight gag making fun of a recent melodramatic movie. Boris is jealous of Natasha success, and this results in John Travolta getting a door slammed in his face and John Candy being blown up. Candy's appearance is as part of the spy subplot which is too convoluted to try to explain. There's also Andrea Martin and John Calvin as the overly friendly next-door neighbors that Kellerman and Thomas are given upon their acceptance as US citizens, and they chew have a secret identity. Only a certain older woman with a voice surprisingly like Natasha's manages to escape, and it's June Foray Who provided the voice of Natasha in the original comic strip more than 30 years before. Still attractive, for a steals the brief moment she is on screen.

Since the quality of the film surrounds Kellerman and not the script or the mess of a story, it's best to keep an eye on the outrageous outfits she wears and the campy situations she gets herself involved in. Kellerman, with that delightful breathy voice, deserved a bigger career then she ended up with, and in one of her few leaves this one laid in her career, she easily walks off with the film. Christopher name as fearless leader is also excellent, and Alex Rocco as the American CIA agent keeping an eye on Boris and Natasha, is appropriately stuffy. Anthony Newley has a cameo as Natasha's photographer, and hairstylist to the stars Jose Eber appears as himself. The "in jokes" makes this instantly dated, but those of us who remember that time will enjoy them. Others will look at the screen, then their friend, and ask, "Huh?"

Who chooses to be bad?

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 26 August 2006]

Personally, I can't figure out why they made a movie with Rocky and Bullwinkle's nemeses as the main characters. But either way, from what I heard about the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie, "Boris and Natasha" has to be better. Featuring the Eastern European agents getting sent to America to find a time-reversing device, it's a little weird but does elicit a few laughs. Still, I don't think that this is really going to do anything for Sally Kellerman's or Dave Thomas's careers (yes, Hot Lips and Doug McKenzie play the baddest Cold War spies whom the world has ever known). I would recommend sticking with the original TV show.

Also starring Andrea Martin, Alex Rocco, John Candy, June Foray in a brief appearance, and even John Travolta as himself.

Silly fun, but pales beside the also-silly 2000 movie

[AnnieLola · 5/10 · 11 November 2020]

I didn't even know this existed until it popped up on cable TV. Had to give it a look, and it's got its moments, but is vastly outclassed by 2000's "Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" with Jason Alexander and Renee Russo. At the very least, more effort could have been put into making the principals resemble the cartoon originals with makeup and hairstyling. Note Sally Kellerman as executive producer-- she bankrolled this production. Corey Burton's Narrator doesn't sound as much like the original Narrator, William Conrad, as the 2000 film's Narrator, Keith Scott, who also voiced Bullwinkle and other characters in that production. But what the heck, enjoy what works and ignore the rest.

Where can I get that chip?

[ted-25121 · 1/10 · 17 October 2020]

Is that chip available in a 2-hour version, so I can reverse my life to the moment before it began? I could have spent the time cleaning my bathrooms.

How to Make a Live Action Cartoon

[jordowich-199-856119 · 7/10 · 30 December 2014]

If you watch Boris and Natasha expecting a spy version of Naked Gun you'll be sadly disappointed but if you're familiar with the two villains from the iconic Rocky and Bullwinkle this will be a little treasure. Live action versions of cartoons rarely work. Movies require more character and plot development and that requires deviations that annoy fans of the original. Kellerman and Thomas manage to establish their cartoon credentials without falling prey to the cartoon dimness of their animated predecessors. Rocket scientists they ain't but with a few exceptions they're not total numskull's either. They're helped along by a self-aware narrator just like on Rocky and Bullwinkle. Delicious. Would have like to see more of the delightful Andrea Martin but perhaps that's for the best - she steals the scenes she's in. In short, this is a movie that doesn't take itself seriously and neither should you.

Live-action version of the antics of Boris & Natasha from "Rocky & Bullwinkle"

[ddbibb · 10/10 · 15 January 2004]

A live-action version of the adventures of Boris and Natasha from "Rocky & Bullwinkle" this movie was produced just after the fall of communism in Europe. The company that produced it went bankrupt just before it was to be released and so it was relegated to cable TV.

Boris and Natasha are set up by Fearless Leader and given the assignment to locate a professor and his amazing time reversing microchip. As they seek their objective they are unaware that the moment they locate the professor the master spy who is using them as a decoy will kill them. The two nogoodniks have to convince American intelligence that they are defectors, find the professor, avoid getting killed, and, hardest of all, Boris and Natasha have to get used to American values. The narrator is terrific and does give one the feeling that he is right out of the original show. Moose and Squirrel, as Boris calls them, do appear and the entire movie is a fun piece of entertainment.

The movie has begun showing up on DVD in the cheap bins at a number of stores and makes a great addition to any person who can enjoy a movie for just being a fun piece of fluff.

Boriscrantz and Natashastern Are Not Dead

[randwolfray · 6/10 · 17 December 2010]

A while back I watched the Brendan Fraser movie "Dudley Do-Right" (1999) and that was a mindless bit of fun, so I had to check out what people were saying about "Boris and Natasha" (1992). I enjoyed this movie, sort of. As other reviewers have said, the narrator was fantastic. He sounded just like the old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon. I loved the part where he asked people to write in.

I guess what I didn't like about this film was that (to my sensibility anyway) they didn't make the main characters look like the original Boris and Natasha. Sally Kellerman was a good choice for Natasha, but why did they give her a short hairdo? In the cartoon Natasha always had 1940s-style long hair with bangs. And I just couldn't buy Dave Thomas as Boris. I'm not criticizing him as an actor, but they needed someone physically built more like Danny DeVito or Joe Pesci. In fact, Joe Pesci's face and mannerisms would have really worked as well. If you think your kids might enjoy this, there's a brief scene where Boris gets drunk in a strip club. It doesn't really show anything, but that's foreign to the Rocky and Bullwinkle atmosphere. I wish the filmmakers had just made a little more effort to be faithful to the original material.

All in all, though, for what it is, this is an enjoyable movie. Just don't expect too much from it and it may be worth a look.

A completely underrated little comedy.

[s269759 · 10/10 · 3 October 2005]

I just can't understand what people find to hate about this movie. Personally, I love it, but even then, everyone I've shown it to at least enjoy it, and mostly really like it.

The bench mark test is the first ten minutes of the film. If you don't laugh during that, (and with as many silly references and witty wordplay you should) you won't during the rest of the film, because the humor stays at that same level.

The comedy is quick, witty, and just as silly as the original Rocky and Bullwinkle show. The plot is complicated and keeps you guessing. And the surprise ending is brilliant.

In all, this is an incredibly underrated little film; if you like the original show you would be in a sorry state not to catch this movie.

Sillier than putty but certainly brings smiles and laughs

[inkblot11 · 8/10 · 19 December 2021]

Boris ( Dave Thomas ) and Natasha ( Sally Kellerman) are in a small country that was once part of Yugoslavia. Russia is also liberated but Fearless Leader is still sending out spies to meddle in world affairs. On this day, he asks B + N to " defect " to America in order to find a miraculous new microchip. Very special, this chip alters time back to 20 seconds before, thereby reversing catastrophes like crashes and gunshot killings. BUT BUT WAIT! What the dynamic duo doesn't know is that they will be the decoy to find the chip but then be eliminated as a more worthy spy will bring the invention back to FL. Off they go. When they land, the CIA captures them immediately and interrogates them to find their true purpose. Finding the twosome to be clueless and dim, they let them go. But, an agent named Willie will follow closely behind. In fact, W brings Boris and Natasha to a smart high rise apartment with every amenity. Natasha becomes a sensational new model after being discovered. But between photoshoot, our heroes still hunt for the microchip and the man who invented it. Will they locate it only to perish? This film , taken from the 60s cartoon characters, is sillier than putty but will still plaster a grin on one's face. Thomas and Kellerman are great as the rather not-so-bright spies and the other cast members are fine, also. What fun to see Natasha empty a frozen can of orange juice into a glass for Boris or a fellow spy, dying, knock over a bowl of potato chips as a "clue". The zany plot takes the viewers to many settings while costumes are terrific. Laughs ensue time and again. So, do you seek a flick to lift your spirits? Spend time with Boris and Natasha!

Not a translation to film of the cartoons, but a great movie instead.

[percept · 10/10 · 9 October 1999]

This movie was not at all what I expected it to be. Instead it was incredibly funny. If you're not expecting a direct translation of episodes of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, then you will not be disappointed.

The similarities between the film and cartoon are... esoteric at best. If you don't hold this against the movie, you'll enjoy the hell out of yourself. I loved the cartoons with a passion, but do you really think they would make a good movie?

Gotta give it a 10.

[heavydude · 10/10 · 22 November 2021]

Here it is, 29 years later and I never knew this movie existed until I came across it on Amazon Prime. Boris and Natash: The Movie. Say, what!

I am a life long fan of the Rocky and Bullwinkle family of shows, watched the originals starting in 1959. Watched the reruns every time they came on. I was at the movies in 2000 when a trailer came on for the R & B movies. Couldn't wait to see that one. It was wonderful.

I spent the last hour and a half laughing myself silly at the antics of Boris and Natasha. Sally Kellerman nailed it, in spite of the page boy haircut (that's what it's called). Dave Thomas, not so much. Totally wrong voice, wrong accent. Sounded more like Andy Kaufman's character, Latka, on Taxi.

Otherwise the movie was a hoot. Lots of in jokes for the fans. Fans will love it, others maybe not.

Absolutely Goofy and Fun, Would Never Be Made Today without Being Totally Dull.

[betchaareoffendedeasily · 9 December 2022]

This movie is nonstop fun, it is stupid, silly, goofy, and well CARTOONISH. It is after, based on characters frm Rocky & Bullwinkle. I am curious why Natasha has short hair, but I think it kind of answers the question within the film with a goofy side plot about Natasha becoming a sort of accidental fashion icon. With cameos from John Travolta and John Candy, this movie is elevated just a little bit by their presence

Dave Thomas as Boris is actually surprisingly funny and somewhat restrained, and Sally. Kellerman really hams it up as Natasha, everyone else is pretty much chewing the scenery, but given this is a live action cartoon, it makes it a lot of fun. I was never bored and I kept wondering, where is this gonna go next? Is there much of a plot? Nope! It's basically one ridiculous setup after another. There is a loose story, about Boris and Natasha being used as pawns to lead a skilled spy to a micro chip that will "change everything". It's really just used as an excuse for endless gags. I say this with much fondness.

This is a fairly clean movie, I would say it's appropriate for children 8 and up, if not younger, it's really cartoony, and while some of the themes such as the jokes about immigration will go over their head, it's so full of ridiculous setups, there is plenty for both adults and children to enjoy.

Dave Thomas is Great in This

[erostew · 8/10 · 9 October 2012]

I'm not sure if this movie made it into theatres or not. If I remember correctly it had a short run in Canadian theatres but I could be wrong.

The movie is the kind of screwball comedy in which Dave Thomas excels. He gives a great performance and really hams it up. I have been a big fan of his since the very earliest days of SCTV when it was still shot in Edmonton. There are a couple of other SCTV alumni in this movie also. Both Andrea Martin and John Candy spice things up a bit.

The only slightly sour note is the casting of Sally Kellerman as Natasha. She does her usual quirky and funny job of acting and by no means did a bad job. However at the time this move was made she was into her 50s and 10 or 12 years older than Dave Thomas. So, even though they work well together, their chemistry could have been a bit better. No doubt she was cast because they needed a known name to go with Dave Thomas who was not known as a lead actor, and for that matter still isn't usually a lead.

So in summary: If you get a chance to see this on Netflix or see the DVD on sale somewhere don't hesitate to watch it.

Not as good as THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY & BULLWINKLE, but still fun stuff

[jellyneckr · 6 July 2004]

Let me start off by saying I'm a fan of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, especially the ones with Boris and Natasha, so I was very excited when I heard that a Rocky and Bullwinkle related movie was finally getting made. The movie lived up to my expectations. Sure, it had a lot of jokes that didn't work and it is not as good as THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE (the other R&B movie which was made eight year later), but it is still fun stuff. The movie has the heart and flat humor as the classic TV show did, making it worth watching for fans of the series. Highlights include the Agent X scenes and any time the narrator is speaking (gotta love that voice). **1/2

This movie is great, and I know why some don't like it.

[ReviewsAtHome · 10/10 · 8 June 2013]

I have to begin this review by saying this movie is classic Get Smart style humor. If you don't like Get Smart, this movie isn't for you.

The reason why this movie has mixed reviews is entirely and exclusively because people watch it thinking it's the cartoon. It's not. In fact, there's only one minor drawback, but it's a spoiler so I won't go into detail. Having said that, I'm still giving it 10 stars because I can't give 9 and 1/2.

What to expect when you watch this movie:

* Get Smart style humor, from the point of view of the bad guys. * Hogan's Heroes style humor where the bad people are sympathetic, but only so far you don't want them to die, but at the same time you don't want them to succeed. * Classic Humor. Basically, you will get slow parts. The slow parts exist for a reason. You can't have a point by point fast forward laugh track or it'd be too much. This kind of comedy, unfortunately, is lost on many in my generation. I find it to be perfect pacing, but I'm a big fan of classics, such as the "Road To" movies. * The Narrator breaks it up and adds some spice to the show. * Sight gags. If you have it on in the background you easily miss 60% of the jokes. * Puns that are gone as quick as they appear, so if you aren't paying attention, you're gonna miss the remaining 40% of the jokes.

Boris and Natasha rely on terrible jokes, ridiculous situations, and a plot that shouldn't exist - because that's a classic form of comedy. It's like Adam West's Batman and his Emergency Can of Tomato Soup, or his bad one liners like "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"

You gotta be in the right mood, you gotta love this type of comedy. If you are neither, you won't enjoy it.

I actually kinda wish there was a live action series based off this. Kinda reminds me of that cartoon Kaput and Zosky - two aliens who travel the galaxy trying to conquer other worlds.

Feeble so-called comedy

[Wizard-8 · 4 August 2014]

Before getting into this movie, I have to confess something: I have only seen a few minutes of one episode of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show in my life, and the few minutes that I saw didn't involve the Boris and Natasha characters. So I can't say how closely this live action movie captures the spirit of the animated show. But I can say that I was bored for the most part by this movie. The biggest problem with the movie is that it's not very funny. Oh, there were a few moments that made me smile a little, but for the most part the humor is lame and unimaginative. The script certainly suffers for not being funny, but there are other problems with it. There isn't much of a plot here, for one thing, leading to a lot of padding. Another problem is that the screenplay doesn't flesh out its lead characters very well - when the two are given their mission and start out on it, we hardly have been given any character development at all. This may explain why actors Dave Thomas and Sally Kellerman seem to be phoning in their performances. In fact, all of the cast seem to be treating this acting job in a half- hearted manner. The icing on the cake is the often cheapjack feeling to the enterprise - it obviously didn't have a substantial budget. It's no wonder the movie was shelved for four years before being released straight to video and cable TV.