Movies-TV

fine

Steve martin is one of my favorite actors. my blue heaven was a good and well-plotted comedy.

Zanily Funny

I hadn't even heard of this movie until I stumbled across it on late night TV and found it more than adequately funny. As a Sicilian, I got over any real sensitivity on the mobster subject long ago. The beautiful thing about Martin is that he can be absurd in almost any role he plays and still be likable and funny because of that very absurdity. This allows him to doing characterized spoofs of even evangelists with relative impunity. The magic formula is that just about everything he does in a role would supposedly make one dislike him, but one doesn't.I am not exactly sure what failed to make this movie more of a box-office success, or why it got so little attention. I would think that there would have been enough Martin fans to give it a good flying send-off and kept it there. Possibly it was due in part to the fact that by the time the movie was made, the movie-going audience demographics had started to change considerably. Adults were becoming more likely to rely on TV and video-tapes for their viewing fare, unless they thought a movie had the scope and grandiosity to benefit from the very large screen. The movie houses depended more and more on the teeny-boppers who relied on them as social outlets or at least just another place away from home(ugh!). And most teeny-boppers lacked many of the points of reference that would make the whole New York/wise guy/FBI/not really bad guy shtick really funny. Then of course it was also the beginning of end-less violence and computer generated special effects which youth saw and popularized as an extension of their video games.Considering the more recent offerings such as Bewitched, this movie is on a different plateau altogether. If you are in your forties now and have been exposed to the Sopranos, by all means see this movie if you missed it originally. Chances are it will make you laugh, hard. And is that not what a good comedy is supposed to do?

funny as hell

this is a must see movie. so buy it

A Classic

My Blue Heaven is a classic. I've been watching it for years, and for some reason the jokes don't get old, the movie doesn't get boring, the only bad thing that happens is the video wears out. This is simply one of the best, funniest, most watchable movie ever. Go out of your way to see this one.

A big time crook moves to a small time town and takes them for everything they have.

This movie is one of the best comedies ever made...It's hilarious how Martin's character can just pull nonsense out of no where and make the small-towners believe every word he says. They are the most absurd reasons for stealing and breaking the law ever. For example, the phony minister, the jump-starting cars in the army, 25 copies of one book just in case he wants to read it more than once, he put a stolen fish in his trunk while the weather was cold because there wasn't enough room in his freezer on account of another guy he knew gave him a side of beef, etc. Its brilliantly funny and the people who denounced it obviously didn't watch the movie close enough.

guaranteed giggles

i bought my own copy because i need it Right Now when i get the blues. steve martin's 'seduction' of carol kane is worth a whole quart of ice cream.

Funny!

I love this movie. This was the first DVD I owned. Great buy and great laughter for family.

A mobster kills you with kindness

My blue heaven is a wonderful farce made in 1990 starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cussack. In classic fashion this movie presents situations that are so humorous because of their ridiculous nature. But don't underestimate the power of this farce as a vehicle to show the transformation each character. Vinnie becomes an honest citizen, Barney learns how to spice up his life to a salsa, and Hanna gets rid of her Army shoes.You may see similarities between this movie and Martin Scorsese-type New York gangster movies. Purportedly My Blue Heaven was loosely based on the story of Henry Hill, Good Fella and famous snitch. Many of the external characterizations by the stock characters are seen in both types of "hey-howya-doin" movies.True to being full of exaggeration, watch how Vinnie (Martin) talks his way out of grand theft auto when talking to Hanna Stubbs (Cusak) a prudish assistant DA. Little things are exaggerated but divulge the essence of each character like Barney (uptight, by-the-book geek) getting caught by his seat-belt harness.All of the verbal and physical humor is way over the top using deliberately exaggerating gesticulations, footwork, and language.Great songs set the farce in motion and vaudevillian acting keeps it going. The movie opens with My Blue Heaven as song by Fats Domino; Angel in paradise belted out by Tony Bennet's. You will want to learn how to do the merengue and salsa after watching Barney get an education from Vinnie and girls in New York. For the action loving fan watch the wham-bam-sock'em number Barney does on Daniel Stern, Hanna's ex-husband. A real treat is watching Bill Irwin playing Kirby, Barney's FBI partner. Irwin is a Tony award winning comic, mime, choreographer, Mr. Noodle on Elmo's world, and star of the stage. A lot of viewers have no idea the Bill Irwin is the Charlie Chaplin of our time.And Shaldeen (Carol Kane) as the leopard skin wearing hootchie-mama. Vinnie: It is dangerous for you to be here in the frozen food section Shaldeen: Why is that? Vinnie: Because you could melt all this stuff. And she buckles at the knees. What a hoot!I gave My Blue Heaven movie ten stars because it is a classic farce that uses quick physical comedy and tight dialogue to generate a good feeling for you.

My Blue Hell

They say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Well, I can say, "this is a really great movie, like I'm sure!", sound in the knowledge that there is, indeed, a lower form of wit. I sincerely believe that "Schindler's List" is more likely to raise a laugh and can only hope that "Customers who bought this video also bought:" A home labotamy kit. Preserve your intellectual integrity and look elsewhere for laughs.

Martin and Moranis at their prime.

This movie is from the period when Rick Moranis and Steve Martin were still at the very top of the comedy-genre. This movie shows both of them in top-form and they make this movie a fun and certainly above average one.It's not the most clever or best comedy movie even written but the movie does serve its purpose. There are quite many different plot-lines. It doesn't make the movie confusing to watch but it does make it a little bit less interesting to watch at times. Therefor the move never really reaches the level of true greatness but it still is a bit of a forgotten and certainly underrated comedy that deserves some more recognition.This movie features Steve Martin in one of his best and most entertaining roles. He is perfect as the ex-gangster, who now is in the witness protection program. He goes perfectly over-the-top as the Italian wise-guy. Rick Moranis' role is a bit smaller (too small) but not any less entertaining because of that. Moranis and Martin form a pretty good and funny comical duo, mainly because the two characters are very different from each other. The movie also has a really strong supporting cast, with some big and well known respected names in it.It's a movie that really mostly relies on its two main character. They make the movie and its comedy moments work. The movie doesn't really have that many memorable moments, although the dance sequences are definitely fun, original and amusing. Its more the sort of movie that amuses and entertaining throughout its entire running time, without making a too big or lasting impression. The movie tries to be clever at moments with its story but it only succeeds partly in this. The story is too messy and too disconnected to make it really fully work.There are too many issues with this movie to really regard it as a great comedy classic. The story is not always told in the most interesting way and not everything in the movie really connects with each other. Also the ending was a bit of a disappointment. It was like they wanted to solve every plot line and problems in the last ten minutes in just a couple of sequences. It made the ending a bit of a too easy and unsatisfying one.Overall an entertaining, bit of underrated comedy, that is fun to watch, mainly thanks to Martin and Moranis who were both in top shape at the time of this movie.7/10

a pleasant time-passer and nothing more

This Rick Moranis/Steve Martin film is relatively fun and entertaining, but also quite forgettable--mostly because the film is mostly founded on a single joke that isn't all that funny. Martin plays an obnoxious crook that Moranis has been assigned to protect and it's the standard "buddy film" where two totally dissimilar guys are thrown together with "hillarious results". Generally, while the results are slightly amusing, that's all there really is to the film. Martin hams it up with an over-the-top stereotypical cheap hood performance (which, frankly, isn't too good, since it's so broad and overdone) and Moranis plays a dull befuddled FBI agent. Really, this is only a very slightly better than average time-passer and nothing more. If it comes on TV and you have nothing more important to do, then give it a watch. Otherwise, it's pretty skip-able.

Wow--so bad it's almost unwatchable!

Few films get a one star from me. There is some humor, some cleverness, some wit, charm or insight that elevates it from dreadful to just bad. Not this turkey. It was one of those "What were they thinking?" films, where I wondered aloud repeately "How could they do that?" From the Father Guido Sarducci accent to the jokes that fall like eggless souffles, this film stinks.

And I never for a moment felt anything other than This Is A Movie. Suspend disbelief? I wish! I was suspended, into animation.

I'm with you, I'm with the government

Where can I start? The day that I stumbled upon this film was a day that I will never forget, a day that brings a tear to my eye and a day that I actually can't remember... Anyway, as for the film... It's an absolute Classic, if you're wanting to know the plot, read the other 101 reviews of this film, if you want to know what makes it worthy of 5 stars, then watch it. Steve Martin hasn't always been the funniest person on TV, but in this film he is immense. IT IS THE CHEESIEST FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN. I can't but help quote it every now and then in my every day speech! (and no, I'm not a fruitcake) The film is just full of worthy catch phrases and one of the all time classic jokes, actually it's a bit rude, so I probably shouldn't quote it or they won't put this review on the website. Anyway, trust me, buy some popcorn, sit back with the loved one and get carried away on a ridiculous ride with a video that's completely detached from normality, where consequences don't matter and which, by the end, promises to make you laugh, smile or cry. Enjoy. PS It's on DVD too, double happiness, and no, I'm not a fruitcake.

Nope

"My Blue Heaven" features a simple premise; it's a fish-out-of-water comedy about a gangster in the Witness Protection Program adjusting to suburban life. Except the premise requires an actor who has played a gangster in the past: a DeNiro, Pacino or Pesci comes to mind. Since we're stuck with Steve Martin we're left with a movie that fails on every level.I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this movie was written specifically FOR a DeNiro or Pesci. I'm gonna guess that said star pulled out at the last minute. I can only assume that this happened so far into production that no one had time to revise the script to cater to new lead Steve Martin, because the jokes make NO SENSE WITH A NON-GANGSTER ACTOR PLAYING THE ROLE! Steve Martin doesn't even help by trying to play the part realistically; he does such a broad, offensive Italian caricature that the entire picture dissolves into a slapdash cartoon. Imagine casting Robin Williams in the lead of "My Cousin Vinny."Now I have to wonder how they came up with the title of the film. By turning on an I-Pod and picking a song title at random? It might just as easily have been called "Hey Jude" or "Whip It."I love Steve Martin, but would someone mind telling me what he was thinking here? If he was thinking at all? His "Vinny" comes straight off the dinner-theater stage and into suburban America, which is evidently populated by unsuspecting nitwits just begging to be fleeced by oily New York mafioso. I won't waste time on Rick Moranis' ineffectual FBI agent- all I have to do is tell you that his character is named "Barney Coopersmith." That should sum up the level of wit in Nora Ephron's stiflingly obvious script.I'll give Steve Martin one thing: with his spiky black hair and constant facial twitching he manages to transcend his WASP roots... he never comes across as Italian but he might pass for a schizophrenic Guatemalan busboy on a three-day cocaine binge. The movie is a mess... it's as emotionally hollow as the tract-housing communities it tries to satirize, and if you don't yet understand the power of casting in making a movie work always remember "My Blue Heaven."At least it's good for something.GRADE: D

A Wonderful Movie

This is Steve Martin's best movie, Rick Moranis and Steve Martin make a great pair. The best mobster comedy ever made. Even though the picture quality, the sound and the features of the DVD are not vey good; this movie is definately worth the money! "Have a nice day."..."F**k you!"

one of Steve Martin's best

I consider 'My Blue Heaven' and 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' to be Steve Martin's finest. It's fine comedy without any slapsticks.

However, the DVD version is rather disappointing. It is NOT widescreen, and there're no extras to speak of. The transfer quality is decent, but that's about the only thing makes the DVD better than VHS.

4.5 for the movie, 1.5 for the DVD, that makes it 3 overall.

Excellent stage for Steve Martin

Though Steve Martin's "wise guy accent" isn't very different from his "wild and crazy guy" Czech accent, the movie is still a light-hearted romp that perfectly showcases his good-natured and goofy sense of humor. That said, what makes the movie a worthwhile buy is the work of Joan Cusack, easily the best (and most underrated) comedienne in movies today.

A great comedy, if lacking DVD features

This is a great comedy. You won't find a second disk full of director's comments or actor's remarks, or cut scenes...but you will have a very funny movie to watch.

Steve Martin is at his best, portraying a New York mobster in the witness protection program. He has been relocated to friendly, sunny southern California--"hell" as he puts it.

He's miserable until he finds a cadre of similar transplants and gets back to his gangster ways. Along the way he charms a DA, a police woman and teaches his FBI watcher that there is more to life than a boring job.

This is one of the better Steve Martin comedies, ranking up there with _Father of the Bride_ and _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_.

Feel-good movie

Absolutely love this movie. Every time i see it i feel great afterwards. Steve Martin and Rick Moranis are really great and not just funny, but genuinely moving as the friendship develops. Definitely Steve's best role ever - a great character who we should all be more like!

Wildly Funny

I thought this movie was wildly funny! I've seen it several times and it never fails to bring a smile to my face and laughter. It's easy to watch and I find the main character charming even though he's a criminal. He's this mafia guy in a witness protection program who's bored out of his mind so he tries to stir things a bit and in the process loosens up some people's attitudes towards life. He's like the crazy uncle who brings you candy and presents when you least expect it. What's wrong with that? Ok, he tries to swindle people, but that's his...job. A zebra can hardly lose its stripes, right? In the end he makes good and everybody's happy. That's what counts. I love the music. Lighten up, you can't take life too seriously. Have some fun. Don't read too much into some situations or characters, otherwise you miss the joy.