Benedito Dias Rodrigues
Eventually anybody can make a mistake,it's perfectly acceptable for human being,so this time Gene Wilder made a bad action very far away from the next to came,the movie itself isn't bad at all in fact Don DeLuise and Carol Kane overcame and saves the picture,allowing us a best review,put aside all this and what remains of tremendous failure is concern to be a good production and all casting given their best but it weren't enough!!for Carol Kane 6 out 10 just for her only!! Resume: First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6
oOoBarracuda
1977 brought the second attempt of Gene Wilder to produce, direct, write and star in another film. The World's Greatest Lover was a varsity effort by the new director to produce a piece based on a movie star in the 1920's. Gene Wilder stars with Carol Kane, and Dom DeLuise to tell the tale of a man who chases his dream of movie stardom by traveling to Hollywood answering the call for a search for the world's greatest lover. Sometimes, it takes traveling far from home to realize that you already have everything you could ever want. Hollywood studio head Adolph Zitz (Dom DeLuise) is competing with the strapping, good-looking, Errol Flynn-esque star of another studio. Zitz decides to post a call asking for men across the country to come to Hollywood and audition for his film The World's Greatest Lover and become a star. Meanwhile, back home in Milwaukee working in a bakery, meek Rudy Hickman (Gene Wilder) dreams of being such a movie star and decides to travel with his bored and listless wife, Annie (Carol Kane) for the audition. All of his life Rudy has wanted to work in the movies and be a star, he daydreams of stardom so much he neglects his work and is unable to keep a job. Rudy ends up getting a screen test, and as his excitement builds with his dream getting closer to reality, his wife is sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle and attempts to have an affair with the famous screen actor Rudolph Valentino. Realizing that he is losing grip on the life he has in search of the life he longs for, Rudy must make the decision to leave his dream in his head, or risk losing everything to chase it.What to say about The World's Greatest Lover, you can tell Gene Wilder was incredibly ambitious and wanted to become a director. Much like The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Wilder was unhinged in this venture and clearly does better starring in a film that he is not directing. He would have been better if deciding to continue directing not having a starring role in the film. The film starts out with a good premise, then loses its story with poor fluidity and wild performances from all actors involved. There were a few good gags, and it was a nice homage to classic silent cinema, but not much else shines in this film. The directing bug definitely bit Wilder, and clearly sucked too much blood. As much as I love Wilder as an actor and writer, he falters in the director's chair.
SnoopyStyle
Rainbow Studio is falling behind rival Paramount with their matinée star Rudolph Valentino. Studio head Adolph Zitz (Dom DeLuise) intends to find the next sex symbol for his movie "The World's Greatest Lover". He is surrounded by Yes men and gets violent whenever somebody disagrees. Rudy Hickman (Gene Wilder) from Milwaukee is filled with neuroses. When he gets nervous, he does one of three things. He either sticks out his tongue, gets hysterical laryngitis or mixes up his words. He gets fired again and decides to go to Hollywood with his innocent new wife Annie (Carol Kane) to win that Greatest Lover contest. Annie is tired of living with Rudy and leaves him in search for Rudolph Valentino.There is one hilarious scene with Sex by the Numbers. It gets me every time. It's a great bit but the rest of the movie isn't that funny. Rudy Hickman is not a likable guy. The main problem is that he's so dismissive to his wife Annie. That is a real problem for him being the World's Greatest Lover. It's also tough to laugh with the guy.
marcomeyer
When I saw this movie on TV some decennials ago, I found it quite funny, because Gene Wilder was "in" at that time. We youngsters longed for more comedies with him after having seen him in the outrageous (is it still seen this way today?) "Young Frankenstein". The movie has its wonderful and romantic moments, sometimes even funny ones. Just enjoy it as a light-weight spoof, as a slapstick-comedy, and if you're a tongue-out-of-your-mouth-sticker, this is definitely the number one movie for you, for it is THE running gag of the show (if you like it or not). Yes, there are many clichés repeated over and over, like for instance Fritz Feld doing his standard hotel receptionist number, but there are so many little fun jewels hidden everywhere. Take for instance the scene when Gene/Rudy, in his exaggerated Hollywood craze thinks he sees Greta Garbo dancing in the hotel garden, falling/jumping on "her" dancing partner, only to detect Garbo is a transvestite. Cheep joke? From today's view perhaps, but not at its time. There were lots of comedies like this one which generate hardly more than a moan today (even the Mel Brooks series). If you can ever get hand on a VHS tape of this movie, grab it and watch it. Simply watch it. Be romanced. Be funny. Forget the cruel world and your cineast attitude. Leave your brain at home. Just watch (and enjoy) that movie!