Listen, schmucks. People I know raved about History of the World, and so I had to see it, since I'd never seen it before. Yeah, I know, I'm living under a rock-occasionally. Let it be said that I do like Mel Brooks; I think he's wonderfully funny, even though he kind of rips off Monty Python a lot. That being said, of the flicks I've seen of his (Young Frankensten, Spaceballs, Men In Tights, and I think Blazing Saddles...and this one), Spaceballs is still currently my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I laughed at this one. Mostly during the Roman Empire chapter. It's just didn't strike me as funny as people made it out to be.
Still, it was pretty funny. The funniest character: Empress Nympho played by the eternal Madeleine Kahn. Her appearances in the early Brooks' films are always the best. She made me giggle for sure.
I'm not sure which were my favorite scenes. I will have to see it again.
If you like Mel Brooks and/or zany madcap humor, this is a good one. I think I might like it better on repeat viewing.
Still, nothing beats the "I'm Surrounded By Assholes" scene in Spaceballs. I still laugh at it. That, and Spaceballs: the Toilet Paper.
My rating for History: 8 out of 10 (minor flaws but still pretty good). Some parts dragged a bit, particularly the French Revolution, even if it is good to be king. P.S. I do think this movie is funnier than Young Frankenstein.
The test: will she be buying it? I'm considering the Mel Brooks boxed set, so if I get that, this one will be in it. I can't say definitely yes or no, though.
I own Spaceballs, though.