In this spoof of STAR WARS and a handful of other sci-fi flicks from the 1970s and '80s, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog/half-man sidekick, Barf (John Candy), must rescue a spoiled Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in time to pay off Pizza the Hut. With SPACEBALLS, director Mel Brooks is at it again, this time with a science-fiction parody with all the blue-screen special effects and weird makeup (though in this film, things are always slightly off-kilter and unpolished). Here, maverick space travelers set out to save the planet Druidia, which is being harassed by the Spaceballs, a sinister group attempting to pilfer Druidia's air resources. Among the many gags and jokes is a hilarious parody of a classic scene from ALIEN. Mel Brooks himself makes one of his funniest acting appearances as Yogurt, a send-up of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK's Yoda.
Clyde Leiberman cowrote the SPACEBALLS theme with director Mel Brooks and Jeff Pascetto. (Brooks often cowrites the music for his films.)
Excerpt: "I'm my own best friend."--Barf (John Candy), half-man/half-dog
"May the schwartz be with you."--Yogurt (Mel Brooks)
Review 1:
"[T]he meta-merchandising send-ups are inspired chuckles that get funnier with age."
Source: Premiere
p.106 05/01/2005
Review 2:
"...An ambitious sendup....Gentle, harmless satire than occasionally has real bite..."
Source: New York Times
p.C23 06/24/1987
Review 3:
"...Often underrated is this comedy's dead-on production design..."
Source: USA Today
p.8D 04/30/1996
Review 4:
"...Amusing sight gags..."
Source: Variety
06/24/1987
Review 5:
"The spoofs on marketing tie-ins and insecure tyrants have grown even more relevant..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.70 05/13/2005
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