Hook, Line and Sinker

"Hook, Line and Sinker" is a highly episodic Jerry Lewis film...where the plot seems secondary to a wide variety of funny bits...many of which aren't very funny. While I would not place it among the comedian's worst, he was capable of so much better.

Peter (Lewis) tells his recent life story to a room full of Hispanic doctors...why he's talking with these folks about his troubles, you have no idea until the end of the film. You learn that Peter leads a pretty dull life in suburbia and you see him in a variety of funny and very unfunny bits (the groundhog bit is awful). However, when his doctor (Peter Lawford) tells him he only has a month to live, his wife suggests he live life up...maxing out the credit cards during a wild month fishing abroad. However, he eventually learns that his death is a ruse....and he's in deep trouble and his finances are shot.

The problems with this movie are familiar ones for Lewis films--too many unfunny bits that go on and on as well as some mugging. While being episodic isn't necessarily bad (one of his better films, "The Bellboy" is VERY episodic), here it doesn't work because most of the bits just aren't funny.