Screw Loose (1999)

Screw Loose (1999)

6/10

Starring

Ezio Greggio

Mel Brooks

Directed by Ezio Greggio

The year is 1999 and I cannot understand why every time I watch this movie, I’m laughing my head off.

To be honest the movie is not beyond understanding funny, or are the antics superb, but what will leave you in a state of mad laughter is the character Jake Gordon played by Mel Brooks when he was in his 70s.

Brooks was in a class of his own, everyone else in this movie were playing catch up. While the movie goes on without him being the focus you get upset, because everyone else is not putting up the same dedication to make you laugh as he was as the other characters were basically overacting.

One of the iconic things Brooks did in the movie were, the idea of “relocating pain” treatment which he will explain faithfully in the movie. The second was when he burst into song every time he hears a tune singing “Toot Toot Tootsie” by Al Jolson.

The movie plot is centered on an Italian family, a father and son ran Italian natural food company. The father Guido Puccini is hot tempered and has no faith in his son’s ability to run the company when he dies. His son Bernardo Puccini (Ezio Greggio) was willing to do anything to earn his father’s respect, so when his father asked for a pre-dying wish, Bernardo agrees.

Guido told him that during the war, he found himself trapped under a statue during a raid. A man named Jake Gordon (Mel Brooks) came and saved. Guido asked his son to go to America and bring back Jake so he can see him one last time.

Bernardo believing this was a small request, flew to America and traced Jake to a mental hospital. Jake’s erratic behavior and little knowledge of the pain he is costing others, helped Bernardo to help him break out of the hospital.

Bernardo looses Jake when the plane landed and now he must find Jake before his doctor who had followed their tracks, find Jake and send him back to America.

I love this movie and I hope you will too. For me I always looked forward to Brooks singing Toot Toot Tootsie, a song he sang in World War II.

Fun Facts: It is said that, during the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans were filling the air with propaganda messages over speakers. Brooks a soldier then, sets up his own speakers and did his imitation of Al Jolson’s “Toot Toot Tootsie.” The song was performed by Al Jolson in the movie The Jazz Singer which was released in 1927. The Jazz Singer was the first feature-length motion picture with sound, which led to the end of the silent film era.