Themes: Foibles of Marriage, Assumed Identities, Actor's Life
Main Cast: Gene Wilder, Carol Kane, Dom DeLuise, Fritz Feld, Carl Ballantine
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
After writing, directing, and starring in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Gene Wilder added the producer's hat to his three-headed beast in The World's Greatest Lover. Wilder plays Rudy Valentine, a Milwaukee baker who enters a talent search in the Hollywood of the 1920s, initiated by movie studio mogul Zitz (Dom DeLuise), to find a new Rudolph Valentino. He travels to Hollywood with his wife Annie (Carol Kane) in hopes of taking a screen test, but Annie falls in love with the real Valentino. Jealous of the Latin Lover, Rudy disguises himself as a sheik in an attempt to look like Valentino. Rudy then invites Annie to a rendezvous at the studio, where he tries to seduce his own wife. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Under the right circumstances, few cinematic comedians can be as funny as Gene Wilder; unfortunately, circumstances are far from right in The World's Greatest Lover, the 1977 film that finds Wilder wearing far too many hats as star, writer, director and producer. A worthy collaborator in the writing (or, preferably, in the writing and directing) departments would likely have made Lover a quite enjoyable comedy. But left totally to his own devices, Wilder doesn't really know what to do. The screenplay at one moment is obsessed with shuffling in some gags for their own sake and the next with maniacally getting back to the story at hand. This in itself would not be so bad if the stand-alone gags were truly funny. Regrettably, the majority of "bits" in Lover fall flat, making for some fairly dull stretches. Equally problematic is the fact that the "story" sections of Lover are no great shakes either. The premise wears thin rather quickly, and the Annie-Rudy story just isn't compelling enough, despite a very good and at times inspired performance by Carol Kane. As an actor, Wilder is still very watchable here, but he doesn't find the variety in his performance that would it needs. He's too often loud and shrill, which Wilder does very well; but wild and shrill works better when it's contrasted with quieter, calmer moments. The supporting cast is filled with comic talents of a wide range, and they help; also of note is the impressive look of the film, and Wilder the director does do a fine job of capturing the atmosphere of 1920s Hollywood. These assets don't save Lover, but they do deserve recognition. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Michael Huddleston - Barber; Carol Arthur - Woman in Record Store; Pat Ast - Bakery/Wardrobe Lady; Candice Azzara - Anne Calassandro; Elya Baskin - Actor with Bad Breath; Nora Boland - Woman; Teda Bracci - Whore #3; Stanley Brock - Yes Man #2; Cousin Buddy - Himself; Warren Burton - Drag Queen; Matt Collins - Rudolph Valentino; Rita Conde - Whore #1; Lou Cutell - Mr. Kipper; Danny DeVito - Assistant Director; Hannah Dean - Maid; Nick Dimitri - Boyfriend on Train; Richard Dimitri - Tony Lassiter; Josip Elic - Headwaiter; Lydia Goya - Singer in Jail; Zooey Hall - Finalist #1; Alvin Hammer - Second Wardrobe Man; David Huddleston; Charles Knapp - Bakery Foreman; George Memmoli - Truck Driver; Jorge Moreno - Mexican Gangster; Frank O'Brien - Yes Man #4; Lupe Ontiveros - Whore #2; Poncie Ponce - Pineapple; Jack Riley - Projectionist; Billy Sands - Guard; Norbert Schiller - Captain; Rolfe Sedan - Conductor; Marya Small - Slave Girl #2; Bunny Summers - Mother on Train; Florence Sundstrom - Aunt Tillie; Pavla Ustinov - Leading Lady; Sal Viscuso - Assistant Director; Speedy Zapata - Mexican Sidekick; Robert Ball; James Hong - Yes Man #3; David Levy - Elevator Operator; Sidney Miller - Man at the Table; Richard Roth - Chico; Patrick Regan - Assistant Director; Peter Elbing - Robert Drake; Frederico Roberto; Harriet Gibson; Gino Gottarelli - Make-up Man; Richard Karron - Bodyguard; Gustaf Unger; Ronny Graham - Director; Mike McManus - Yes Man #5; James Gleason - Room Clerk
Credit
Steve Sardanis - Art Director, Christopher Greenbury - Co-producer, Darryl Athons - Costume Designer, Phyllis Garr - Costume Designer, Ruth Myers - Costume Designer, Mel Dellar - First Assistant Director, Gene Wilder - Director, Christopher Greenbury - Editor, John Morris - Composer (Music Score), Harry Nilsson - Songwriter, Terence Marsh - Production Designer, Gerald Hirschfeld - Cinematographer, Gene Wilder - Producer, Craig Edgar - Set Designer, John Franco, Jr. - Set Designer, Logan R. Frazee - Special Effects, Terry Frazee - Special Effects, Jack Solomon - Sound/Sound Designer, Theodore Soderberg - Sound/Sound Designer, Mickey Gilbert - Stunts Coordinator, Gene Wilder - Screenwriter, Walter Donaldson - Featured Music, Gus Kahn - Featured Music
