US EditionMovie Review: ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!’ Is a Sweeping Tribute to a Comic Genius
The two-part HBO documentary features new interviews with Mel Brooks and comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle, plus archival footage chronicling his 99-year career.
- Two parts debut Thursday on HBO and HBO Max, culminating with Part 2 on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, presenting a big-hearted tribute to Mel Brooks, who is 99.
- Directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio assembled new interviews and archival footage, including David Lynch who agreed to speak despite severe emphysema, to recount Brooks's life.
- A broad cast of comedians and filmmakers contributes on-camera testimony, including Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Sarah Silverman, and Rob Reiner, while Brooks's early faith in David Lynch, director of The Elephant Man, is documented.
- In the film Brooks admits to being an absent first husband and recounts career lows before The Producers brought him an Oscar, while also speaking candidly about grief and missing Anne Bancroft.
- By honoring Brooks while he remains alive, the film presents a rare full-life retrospective tribute that highlights his role in opening doors for success in the 1970s and 1980s.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Hartford Courant
The Sun (Lowell)Movie Review: ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!’ is a sweeping tribute to a comic genius
By JAKE COYLE It’s not often we get to pay tribute, in full, to our giants while they’re still with us. But in “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” Judd Apatow dutifully and affectionately celebrates the laugh-filled life of a comedy legend who’s still here to tell the story — and the jokes — himself. Related Articles Ruth E. Carter makes Oscar history again with costume designer nomination for ‘Sinners’ He-Man escap…
Mel Brooks delights in mixing horrible taste with lavish production numbers
Brooks is the subject of a new two-part HBO documentary, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! TV critic David Bianculli reviews the documentary, plus we listen back to archival interviews with Brooks.
'Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!' is a sweeping tribute to a comic genius
It’s not often we get to pay tribute, in full, to our giants while they’re still with us. But in “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” Judd Apatow dutifully and affectionately celebrates the laugh-filled life of a comedy legend who’s still here to tell the story — and the jokes —…
HBO's Poignant, Funny Mel Brooks Doc Includes Final Interview with Rob Reiner, Who Met Dad's Best Friend When He Was Just Four Years Old
The first past of Judd Apatow’s Mel Brooks documentary begins tonight on HBO. It’s a winner, of course. How could it not be? At 99, Mel Brooks is a wonder of the western world. A comedy genius, director, writer, performer, and mensch. Apatow and pals couldn’t go wrong even if they tried. But they got […] The post HBO’s Poignant, Funny Mel Brooks Doc Includes Final Interview with Rob Reiner, Who Met Dad’s Best Friend When He Was Just Four Years O…
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