Mel Brooks versus Leslie Nielsen

[Traab]

Who has the funniest movies?

The basic breakdown for me between them is, Leslie uses puns and other wordplay humor like that. Relies on a straight man to make it all work.
"They need you in the cockpit!"
"What is it?"
"Its a small room that you fly the plane from. But thats not important."

Mel Brooks is the king of the gag. (combing the desert in spaceballs) Has many good puns and a lot of dirty jokes as well. "I see your Schwartz is as big as mine!"

Dont just compare those two movies, compare them all and decide who is the funniest!

[Physics_Rook]

Whoever loses, we win. :smallbiggrin:

The obvious answer is they're both great in their own way, but there is and always will be only one line from them that I will remember for the rest of my days.

"Evil will always triumph, because Good is dumb."

And I think that is all that needs to be said. Nielsen's had some amazing stuff (Wrongfully Accused is still a favorite), but Mel Brooks is absolutely incredible at crafting those perfect one-liners.

"Unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent."

"Need any help?" "Oh ... all I can get."

"It's pronounced eye-gore"

On a semi-related note, I'll admit that I still think it's absolutely hilarious that Leslie Nielsen used to be cast as the handsome male lead that always got the girl (he really is very good looking in his younger days). Just check him out in Forbidden Planet and you'll see what I mean. He was the original Captain Kirk.

Now I've got to go watch all of Mel Brooks' films again... :smallsmile:

[JabberwockySupafly]

There's really no way to compare the two when it comes down to it. Neilson, no matter how brilliantly deadpan he could deliver those lines (how the hell he did Police Squad without cracking up every other line, I'll never know), didn't write them. He was a fantastic comedic actor (and not a shabby dramatic one, for that matter), but Mel Brooks is not only an actor but a writer, producer, and director of some of the most widely remembered and highly lauded comedies of the last 30+ years.


Besides, just go watch Dracula: Dead & Loving It and everyone wins.

[Yora]

Besides, just go watch Dracula: Dead & Loving It and everyone wins.

Exactly my thought. Why chose just one, when you can have both?

[Kato]

Yeah, gotta agree with Jabberwocky. Nielsen is an awesome actor (as a comdeian, I think I never saw him in a straight movie) but Brooks is a great writer, producer and actor. Nielsen might be slightly better at acting but I don't think he ever did much else (tell me if I'm wrong)

Anyway, there's just so much stuff from both of them I enjoy. Spaceballs or Robin Hoods are among my all time favorite movies, as is the Naked Gun series. It's really hrd to say either is better but if I had to pick... Brooks has a very slight edge.

(Though, on an off-note I actually didn't enjoy Spaceballs: Animated which is about the only thing Brook's ever did I didn't like. Ever.)

[raitalin]

Brooks shaped modern comedy. I don't know if there'd be an Airplane! without Blazing Saddles, or a Police Squad (and therefore Naked Gun) without Get Smart.

Nevermind taking a huge risk and succeeding with Silent Movie, exposing the world to the genius of Gene Wilder, creating the most successful musical comedy in decades and setting the standard for the parody movie genre for 30 years.

[Traab]

Oh I agree, in an overall comparison, mel brooks is a freaking god in comparison. But that wasnt what I was looking for, I basically wanted opinions on which of them you think is funniest. Wether them personally, or the movies they are in, who makes you laugh at loud the most often? If given the choice, "Hey guys, I have a Mel Brooks film and a Leslie Nielson film, which do you want to watch?" Without knowing the titles, which would you most likely pick?

[The Glyphstone]

If you enjoy Mel Brook's brand of humor, he's superior. I think Neilsen's material is more mainstream though - you have to be a special sort of person to enjoy Mel Brooks.

[Yora]

Mel Brooks is genuinely funny. Leslie Nielson is just goofing around, at least that's how it seemed to me back when I was still watching TV. Which is probably 10 years ago, so my memory might decieve me.

[mangosta71]

If given the choice, "Hey guys, I have a Mel Brooks film and a Leslie Nielson film, which do you want to watch?" Without knowing the titles, which would you most likely pick?
The correct answer is always, "Both!"

[raitalin]

Alright then, movie to movie.

The heavy hitters: Blazing Saddles vs. Airplane!

Yeah, this is like picking a favorite child. Both send up their respective genres better than anything has since, both are chock full of memorable lines and both have great casts. I'd say Blazing Saddles is the better movie and Airplane! has more laughs.

Airplane! wins on rewatchability.

The Other Parodies: Naked Gun vs. Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Now, I've enjoyed, but never been a huge fan of, the Naked Gun movies. While they're fulls of laughs, most of it comes cheap and isn't really pushing any boundries. After you've seen the movies a couple times and caught all the stuff going on in the background the gag-a-minute format can get a little tedious. Now, don't get me wrong, Spaceballs and Men in Tights are full of the exact same stuff. I'd say Men In Tights is no better than any of the Naked Gun series, but only the first one matches Spaceballs.

Young Frankenstein is different though, in that instead of retelling the exact same story with jokes it creates a new story with new characters that remains a clear parody. Better than any of the Naked Gun series.

Brooks parodies win.

TV: Get Smart vs. Police Squad
Get Smart has the disadvantage of being from a more corny era of TV, when the absurdity of Police Squad wouldn't have flown. Also, Police Squad is arguably better than Naked Gun.

Police Squad wins.

But really it comes down to this

Leslie Neilsen stuff I like to watch:

Police Squad
Naked Gun 1 and 2
Airplane!

Mel Brooks stuff I like

The Producers (original and musical)
The Twelve Chairs
Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
Silent Movie
High Anxiety
History of the World, Part I
To Be or Not to Be
Spaceballs
Life Stinks
Robin Hood: Men in Tights

[Yora]

I have to admit that I never saw Blazing Saddles. This is actually the first time that I heard it's a Mel Brooks movie.
Around here, we mostly know Spaceballs, Dracula, and Robin Hood. Though Young Frankenstein is also very good.

[Kato]

The correct answer is always, "Both!"

QFT :smallbiggrin:

Sorry but without the titles I couldn't pick. I'd enjoy either, I'm sure.

[An Enemy Spy]

"Do something!" "Do something!" *picks up intercom* "Do something!"
Love that line. Me and my friend used to quote Mel Brooks so much that we actually wrote and signed a document stating the regulations we had to follow in said quoting. Otherwise it would have been chaos.

[mangosta71]

I have to admit that I never saw Blazing Saddles.
"Where the white women at?" Admittedly, the ending gets silly enough that it crosses the boundary into weird...

This is actually the first time that I heard it's a Mel Brooks movie. Around here, we mostly know Spaceballs, Dracula, and Robin Hood.
From Robin Hood: Men in Tights:
"A black sheriff?!"
"Well, why not? It worked in Blazing Saddles."

[Traab]

"We're men, MANLY MEN! We're men in tights, YES!"

"And dont call me shirley"

[Dienekes]

I think they only possible way to make an informed decision is to binge on both of their movies and tv shows.

So... see you all in a few days.

[Brother Oni]

"We're men, MANLY MEN! We're men in tights, YES!"

The 'TIGHT tights' line gets me every time. :smallbiggrin:

[Traab]

Jacques: "Don't cry, my dear. I may not have been born a king, I may not have lived like a king. But at least I can die like a king."
[He strides to the guillotine with dignity]
Executioner: "Your Majesty, do you require a blindfold?"
Jacques: "None."
Executioner: "Have you any last request?"
Jacques: "None."
Executioner: "Test the guillotine!"
[Another executioner triggers the guillotine; the blade comes down and chops the head off a wooden dummy]
Jacques: "*Holy ****!* Uh, wait! Wait! Last request, I have a last request!"
Executioner: "What is your last request?"
Jacques: "Uh, novocaine."
[the executioners confer]
Executioner: "There's no such thing known to medical science!"
Jacques: "I'll wait!"

[BiblioRook]

For some reason this is the Leslie Nielson that always first comes to mind.

"Who are you? And how did you get in here!"
"I'm a locksmith... and I'm a locksmith."

I really need to rewatch Police Squad. I only saw them once years ago and I sort of rushed through them, I'm not even entirely sure if I saw all of them as aside from the above line I barely remember any of them.

[valadil]

Honestly I'm not impressed by either. For me to enjoy comedy it has to surprise me. I find both of them incredibly predictable. Maybe I saw too much of each of them at an early age?

[Traab]

Honestly I'm not impressed by either. For me to enjoy comedy it has to surprise me. I find both of them incredibly predictable. Maybe I saw too much of each of them at an early age?
Probably that, and adding in the fact that they are basically the ancestor of a lot of modern comedy. Those jokes have been circulating for decades, so its hard to really be caught by surprise when you hear the punchlines in the original work.

[thompur]

Since Blazing Saddles is the single funniest movie in the history of film, Mel Brooks wins!:smalltongue:

[Kato]

Since Blazing Saddles is the single funniest movie in the history of film, Mel Brooks wins!:smalltongue:

... You know, I will get a lot of hate for that but if Blazing Saddles was the funniest movie ever then... then... I don't know. Then comedy movies suck pretty badly. Okay, this is too strong but... it wasn't a bad movie and it has pretty good moments but it is, imo, far from the funniest movie ever. (Maybe I saw it too late) I love Brooks and I love his movies but BS... just didn't do it for me, most of the time. He has done much, much better since.

[rakkoon]

We believe Leslie Nielsen is fabulous in Police squad and repeats himself in most other movies.
We believe Mel Brooks to have made two movies (Blazing Saddles & Men in tights) that are quoted from daily.
We like both but must give the victory to Mr Brooks

[valadil]

... You know, I will get a lot of hate for that but if Blazing Saddles was the funniest movie ever then... then... I don't know.

I'd call it the funniest Mel Brooks movie for sure. Whether that qualifies it as funniest ever depends on your opinion of Mel Brooks. I will say that I found this one enjoyable, but it's hardly a favorite.


Probably that, and adding in the fact that they are basically the ancestor of a lot of modern comedy. Those jokes have been circulating for decades, so its hard to really be caught by surprise when you hear the punchlines in the original work.

Maybe? I saw Men in Tights in the theaters and remember it as being cute but mostly unimpressive. I was 10 at the time though, so my memory is a bit fuzzy and my taste may not have been defined yet. It's hard for me to judge if Men in Tights was fresh and new when it came out or if it was just a rehashing of Brooks's other jokes.

[mangosta71]

I didn't see BS until I was older. I recall MiT as hilarious, but it's been a while since I saw it. I've seen Spaceballs recently, as I actually own a copy of it, and it's glorious. While BS has some wonderful moments, I probably consider both MiT and SB funnier overall. Possibly History of the World, too.

[Traab]

What makes it really hard to judge is the fact that its a comedy, and listening to the same jokes over and over again just kinda drains the awesome out of it. Its like watching a murder mystery twice. All the suspense and drama and fear is gone because you already know how it ends, you already know which bits of spooky music are going to end in an ambush, and its hard to enjoy it as much the second time around. Both of them made/were in excellent movies, movies that made me laugh a lot, but its hard to try and go back to rewatch them and judge because now I already know the setups and the punchlines so its never as funny as it was the first time.

That being said, there is NO movie that made me laugh as loudly and as long as Porkys. The scene in the principals office where the boys suggested wanted posters? I almost passed out because I couldnt BREATHE I was laughing so hard. Just a warning for those who have never heard of porkys. If it had been released yesterday, I wouldnt be shocked if it hit nc17 due to the nudity and language and various things that happen in it. So yeah, might want to be careful about picking that one up.