5/5 "He's world famous in Poland!"
  by Randy E. Halford (Boise, ID)
This is a movie which has quickly become one of my favorite Mel Brooks comedies. A remake of the 1942 classic starring Jack Benny & Carole Lombard, "To Be Or Not To Be" is a sparkling production starring Brooks & his late great wife, the wonderful Anne Bancroft, in the title roles of the Bronskis. Running a popular theatre troupe in 1939 Poland, their idyllic existence is shattered by the Nazi invasion. It's ultimately up to the troupe to outsmart the Nazis & flee Poland for sanctuary in England. Brooks has gotten a lot of comic mileage out of making fun of the Nazis (especially here, with the "Naughty Nazis" sketch, and the somewhat bumbling officers put in charge). But the film also has flashes of the grim realities of war as they stand by helplessly & watch the German soldiers take over their quarters & their beloved theatre...even later nearly sending Bancroft's gay dresser to a concentration camp.
Brooks passed on directing this one (he took a critical drubbing for the recent "History of the World" comedy), but does produce it. And the cast is terrific: Tim Matheson as a handsome young soldier flirting backstage with Bancroft; Charles Durning delivering an Oscar-nominated comic performance as a loud-mouthed boob of a Nazi colonel; Jose Ferrer is perfection as a shifty-eyed traitor working for Hitler; and Christopher Lloyd submerging himself (as usual) in the role of an unflinching Nazi subcommander. Not to mention many dead-on supporting performances from the Bronski troupe. There's many terrific comic moments to relish here. Brooks' character is usually one step behind the plot, and he's fun to watch as his head spins around. The glamorous Bancroft tosses out juicy one-liners as if they were bon-bons. And Durning is the pinnacle of Nazi buffoonery as he's constantly putting his foot in his mouth.
A Brooks comedy that really holds up well. It's guaranteed to keep you laughing from start to finish!

5/5 Wonderful comedy
  by Richard Franks (Arcadia, Calif)
A wonderful comedy with Mel Brooks and his wife. A great remake of a Jack Benny film with Carol Lombard. A fantastic way to spend an hour or so.

5/5 To Be or Not To Be
  by NJD (TEXAS)
This is a funny movie. Set in Poland in WWII, it has some serious moments but it takes a humorus look at it what is happening around this troup of actors. This version is far better than the original version. Everyone compliments each other and it's fun to watch.

4/5 Mel Brooks Is Fun and Funny!
  by Lorenzo M. in the Hollywood CA Area (North Hollywood, CA USA)
TO BE OR NOT TO BE is classic Mel Brooks with a few jabs at political commentary as only Mel Brooks can do!

It's fun and magical with even a running Shakespearian joke and a musical duet that cracks a lod laugh when you realize what there singing about.

Hilter, Gays in the Military, Circus Acts, Theatre, Life in the 40's and many more genre's were directly satired.

This was the last performance with his wife Ann Bancroft as his leading lady and their chemistry was amazingly electric. (She did appear with her husband again in a small part in Dracula: Dead and Loving It.) A film not as well received - but it was good to see them together again.

Other cast members who gave tremendous performances included Tim Matheson, Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future) and the always amazing Charles Durning (Mrs. Santa Claus, Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.

Director Alana Johnson was going for a ensemble piece, but with key cast like Mel, Anne, Charles and Timothy it's hard to let everyone shine all the time.

Overall - I found this ovie extremely funny and inventive, however, just a little bit slow in the middle. Id on't know if kids will find the humor as entertaining as the adults - but it is definately Mel Brooks. 3-26-09

5/5 Hysterical
  by Shawn Roeder
Another hysterical Mel Brooks movie that is not quite as slapstick as most of his other movies.