Mr. Magoo

The movie "Mr. Magoo" is an adaptation of the popular cartoon. For what it's worth, it does a good job of presenting itself as a live-action cartoon. Leslie Nielsen has made a career of acting in screwball comedy. He seems to fit his role well as the famously weak-eyed character. In this day and age of political correctness, making a movie such as this was bound to raise a few hackles. The little disclaimer run by Disney about the blind should give you an idea what the PC movement has done to movies today. The point of the cartoon was not to put down the blind at all. So forget what others say, and look this "Magoo" over!

Mr Magoo is as wealthy as he is short-sighted and it is this combination that sees him trapped in the museum he is patron of late one night, when a robbery occurs. The CCTV footage makes him look like he was in on it and the FBI/CIA investigation focuses on him as they try to locate a stolen diamond while keeping the robbery on the low-down. Meanwhile, as he fishes, Magoo manages to have the stolen jewel dropped into his fishing box (best not to ask how) and thus is unwittingly pursued by thieves and cops.

OK. This is based on a old cartoon character so I tried to ignore the modern PC outrage over this film by disabled groups protesting the depiction of partial blindness. According to IMDb it was this that saw the film sliding into video obscurity however I beg to differ. I was outraged by this film – but not for the reasons of objecting to the fact that it gets laughs out of a disability, but rather the fact that it totally fails to get laughs out of a disability. I'd love to pretend to be politically correct and sensitive but there we go! No, the main problem I had with the film is that it is simply not funny. Obviously the gags are all pretty obvious and can be seen coming from miles off but it still surprised me by how lazy it all was.

The plot makes no sense but this was perhaps to be expected, however the total delivery is poor. A constantly "wacky" score is forced upon us in a desperate attempt to make us believe that it is hilarious when it is not. Nielsen was a great choice for the lead but even he can do nothing with this rot and in failing to improve it he just becomes part of the problem. The support cast features turns from Garner, Hudson, Tobolowsky, Lynch, Ferrer and McDowell all of whom are either wasted, look embarrassed or both. As director Tong seems to worry that the jokes will surprise his audience and, I assume, fearing injury from split sides, makes sure that we all get a chance to see each and every gag coming from quite a distance.

Overall then, a film that will appeal to few audience demographics outside of children and those currently drunk. The jokes are obvious and lazy and all that is left is a terrible plot that (perhaps correctly) assumes the audience has the IQ of a basket and just hopes that a man stumbling around is enough to make it – for me personally, it wasn't.

Mr. Magoo, a favorite cartoon character, is brought to life by the comical Leslie Nielsen. As a millionaire and art lover, Magoo opens the exhibit of a large, beautiful ruby at the local museum. Soon after, jewel thieves break into the museum and steal the gem. However, through a series of mishaps, it ends up in the tackle box of Mr. Magoo. The thieves are then, of course, after Mr. Magoo and go through many twists and turns to recover the ruby. Along the way, there are car chases, boat chases, and helicopter chases. There are even baboon chases. Will be stunning jewel end up with the good guys of the film (such as Mr. Magoo) or will it ultimately be taken by the thieves?

This film is by no means a gem of a movie. Yet, it is watchable (especially the second half) and mildly humorous. Kelly Lynch seems to relish her role as a female thief. Mr. Magoo also keeps a little English bulldog whose appearances are always welcome. This viewer purchased the video for $1.00 at the secondhand store and feels she got her money's worth and more. Recommended as acceptable family entertainment for a break from the regular television schedule.

This film is inspired by an old cartoon character, Mr. Magoo, a nice old man who refuses to wear glasses even though he is myopic and who, because of that, gets involved in comic confusions from which he always leaves unharmed (mostly by pure luck). The plot revolves around the theft of a huge ruby. Of course, given the comic and stereotyped kind of film and characters, I didn't expect a lot of verisimilitude on this plot, so I wasn't disappointed by it, but I understand those who has something to say on this. The lead character is played by Leslie Neilsen, an actor who has become a synonym for comedy and doesn't leave us disappointed. He is great at his work and manages to bring charm and joy to the character, making him enjoyable. Jokes are generally good but, after some time, we have already guessed what will happen. The rest of the cast does a fairly decent supporting job but doesn't have room for do much more. Villains are usually as clumsy as Magoo except for Luanne, a cunning and seductive villain played by Kelly Lynch.

The big problem with this movie is that it ends up being a guilty pleasure. We're laughing at a blind man, a handicapped person, and that makes us feel a little guilty and angry at the movie. The truth is that today it's fashionable to be politically correct, and I cannot think of a more politically incorrect character than Mr. Magoo, as lovely as he can be. The film itself seems to have this awareness, allowing the audience to guess the jokes before they happen and avoiding discomfort. Its super funny and has quality, but was punished by the public due to this feeling of guilt.

The movie is not THE BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME, but still this isn't a 3.9 score, seriously now. Leslie Nielsen ( God rest his soul ) was an amazing actor, every single movie that he played, that movie was doomed to be good. Probably here are some guys that don't taste this kind of comedy, they are way to mature and intelligent to laugh at dumb jokes and scenes, but Mr. Magoo (the movie) was funny as hell. You guys should loosen up a little, pull that stick from your ass and learn how to feel good and enjoy a great movie. If in comedies they will make academic jokes no one will laugh because no one will understand them. We need lame as jokes and as stupid and funny as possible. :D

My vote is 8 / 10 ... loved the movie, and Leslie Nielsen, my favourite comedy actor. <3