Rotten
Bancroft's sustained delights are not matched by Brooks, who seems to be trying too hard.
Variety Staff, Variety
To Be or Not to Be
THAT is the movie!
1983 · 1h 47m · PG
Comedy, Romance, War
Directed by
Alan Johnson
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To Be or Not to Be
Overview
A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when Poland is invaded by the Germans in World War II. His wife has the habit of entertaining young Polish officers while he's on stage, which is also a source of depression to him. When one of her officers comes back on a Secret Mission, the actor takes charge and comes up with a plan for them to escape.
Director and cast
- Alan Johnson Director
- Mel Brooks as Dr. Frederick Bronski
- Anne Bancroft as Anna Bronski
- Tim Matheson as Lt. Andre Sobinski
- Charles Durning as Col. Erhardt
- José Ferrer as Prof. Siletski
- George Gaynes as Ravitch
- Christopher Lloyd as Capt. Schultz
- George Wyner as Ratkowski
- Lewis J. Stadlen as Lupinsky
- Jack Riley as Dobish
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
55%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Brooks combines a backstage musical with a wartime romance and comes up with an eclectic comedy that races off into several directions, usually successfully.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh
Ssmashingly funny.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Rotten
I can't remember another film that took so little care with the details of ambience: the cruddy sets and flat, underworked sound track drain any sense of life from the project.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Fresh
Johnson may not quite have Lubitsch's lightness of touch, but he puts an excellent cast through their paces with great verve, and the charm is as potent as ever.
Time Out
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