Legendary American filmmaker Mel Brooks is an icon from the Hollywood Renaissance era. The nonagenarian filmmaker has had a fulfilling career spanning over seven decades. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Mel Brooks has accomplished careers as an actor and comedian.
Over the years, Mel Brooks earned a reputation for starring in his films, in credited and uncredited roles. Many of his films are often created as parodies of films or a genre. Although he hasn’t directed a film since 1995, Brooks has stayed active as an actor, appearing as a guest or voice actor. In honor of his legacy as a filmmaker, here’s a look at every Mel Brooks film and how they were critically rated.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 11%
Interestingly, Mel Brooks’ least-rated film is his last directed movie. The 1995 Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a horror-comedy parody of the classic vampire tale, especially Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The movie starred Leslie Nielsen as Count Dracula and 69-year-old Brooks portraying Dr. Van Helsing. Dracula: Dead and Loving It is filled with slapstick humor, wordplay, and absurd situations typical of Mel Brooks’ style. The movie was a critical and commercial failure, having only grossed $10.7 million against its $30 million budget. Dracula: Dead and Loving It received mixed to negative reviews upon release. Critics were generally unimpressed, noting that it lacked the groundbreaking humor of Brooks’ earlier works.
Life Stinks
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 25%
The 1991 comedy-drama Life Stinks departs somewhat from Mel Brooks’ typical broad comedic and parody style. It incorporates social commentary about wealth, corporate greed, and poverty. Brooks was cast in the lead role as Goddard Bolt, a wealthy and ruthless real estate developer.
Goddard Bolt makes a bet with a business rival, Vance Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor). Bolt wagers to survive in the city slum for 30 days without money or resources. Life Stinks also received mixed to negative reviews and was a box-office flop. Despite the film’s shortcomings, it gained a small cult following over time for its earnestness and departure from Mel Brooks’ usual style.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) was another of Mel Brooks’ parodies, with the film particularly poking fun at previous Robin Hood stories and films. The film follows Robin of Loxley (portrayed by Cary Elwes) as he returns home after escaping from a Jerusalem prison. He finds his family home seized by Prince John (Richard Lewis) and the Sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees).
Teaming up with a band of merry misfits, including Little John (Eric Allan Kramer), Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), the blind servant, and Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle in his film debut), Robin sets out to defeat the corrupt rulers and win Maid Marian’s (Amy Yasbeck) heart. Mel Brooks also starred in a supporting role as Rabbi Tuckman, a comedic spin on the Friar Tuck character. Although critical reviews were mixed, Robin Hood: Men in Tights was a commercial success, grossing $72 million against its $20 million budget.
History of the World, Part I
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
As the name suggests, Mel Brooks’ 1981 History of the World, Part I, is a satirical comedy that parodies major historical events and cultural moments. The movie lampoons four different periods in history, including the Stone Age, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition, and the French Revolution. Mel Brooks was part of the film’s ensemble cast, appearing in all four segments portraying Moses, Comicus, Torquemada, Jacques, and King Louis XVI. History of the World, Part I, received mixed reactions from critics. However, despite the polarized reviews, History of the World, Part I was financially successful and grew a cult following in later years.
Spaceballs
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs (1987) is a space opera parody film. It hilariously spoofs popular sci-fi and fantasy franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Planet of the Apes, etc. Spaceballs follows the misadventures of Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), a parody character of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Lone Starr and his half-man, half-dog sidekick Barf (John Candy) try to rescue Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil clutches of President Skroob (Mel Brooks) and Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). Critically, reviews were generally average but performed moderately at the Box Office.
High Anxiety
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Mel Brooks led the cast of High Anxiety (1977) as Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke. It is Brooks’ first lead speaking role. High Anxiety is created as a loving parody of several of Alfred Hitchcock‘s films. As Dr. Thorndyke, Brooks’ character suffers from a parody of acrophobia. Although the film received mixed reviews, critics appreciated Brooks’ homage to Hitchcock. High Anxiety was a commercial success, grossing an impressive $31.1 million against its $4 million production budget.
The Twelve Chairs
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
The 1970 The Twelve Chairs is Mel Brooks’ sophomore directorial project. The comedy is based on Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov’s 1928 satirical novel. Set in the 1920s Soviet Union, it follows a former nobleman, Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody), who discovers a fortune in jewels hidden by his mother-in-law before the revolution, concealed in one of twelve antique chairs. With the chairs distributed across the country, Vorobyaninov teams up with a con artist, Ostap Bender (Frank Langella), to recover them. Complicating matters, a greedy priest (Dom DeLuise) also seeks the treasure. The Twelve Chairs received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Brooks’ direction.
Silent Movie
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie (1976) is a satirical comedy and a loving homage to the silent film era. Released on June 17, 1976, Silent Movie follows Mel Funn (played by Mel Brooks), a washed-up Hollywood director who comes up with a bold idea to revive his career. Funn desires to make a silent movie in an age of talkies.
Funn teams up with his two sidekicks, Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman) and Dom Bell (Dom DeLuise), to convince major movie stars to appear in the project. One of Silent Movie’s unique features is that it is almost entirely silent, relying on physical comedy, visual gags, and intertitles for storytelling. The movie was critically acclaimed and a major Box Office success.
The Producers
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
The Producers (1967) was Mel Brooks’ feature directorial debut. The satirical black comedy centers around two men, Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leopold “Leo” Bloom (Gene Wilder). They attempt an outrageous financial scam in the world of Broadway theater. Leo discovers that a producer could potentially make more money from a flop than a hit, as the IRS would not investigate if investors lost their entire contribution. However, the play becomes a bit to their horror, as audiences interpret it as brilliant satire, derailing their plan. Although reviews were mixed after its release, the film gained recognition over time as a comedy classic.
Blazing Saddles
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
The 1974 Blazing Saddles is a satirical Western comedy created as a biting critique of racism and a parody of classic Hollywood Westerns. It uses irreverent humor and absurdity to challenge social norms and conventions. The film’s storyline follows Bart (Cleavon Little), a Black railroad worker who’s appointed the sheriff of Rock Ridge, an all-white town. His appointment is part of a corrupt scheme by the villainous Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman).
Lamarr plans to drive out the townsfolk and seize their land for a profitable railroad. However, with the help of a drunken gunslinger, Jim the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder), Bart outsmarts Lamarr’s plans. Blazing Saddles was another critically and commercially successful project. Besides being later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, it grossed $119.6 million after its theatrical run from its $2.6 million production budget. Blazing Saddles is Mel Brooks’ highest-grossing film.
Young Frankenstein
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
1974 was an exceptionally great year for Mel Brooks. His top two highest-rated movies were released in 1974. Brooks’ highest-rated film is the comedy horror, Young Frankenstein. The film was created as a parody of classic horror films, particularly Frankenstein (1931) and its sequels. Young Frankenstein tells the story of Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), the grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein. Despite being a Frankenstein, Frederick is initially reluctant to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
However, he later becomes fascinated with Victor’s experiments and attempts to re-animate a dead body (Peter Boyle), resulting in a series of humorous and chaotic events. Mel Brooks’ use of black-and-white cinematography and a period-specific set design served as nods to the original Frankenstein films. Young Frankenstein was critically acclaimed and a Box Office success, with $86.2 million in earnings against its $2.78 million budget. In celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary in 2014, even Mel Brooks admitted that Young Frankenstein is his finest project. If you enjoyed reading about Mel Brooks’ films, check out this ranking of American filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee’s films.
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