Boris and Natasha (1992)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Before getting into this movie, I have to confess something: I have only seen a few minutes of one episode of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show in my life, and the few minutes that I saw didn't involve the Boris and Natasha characters. So I can't say how closely this live action movie captures the spirit of the animated show. But I can say that I was bored for the most part by this movie. The biggest problem with the movie is that it's not very funny. Oh, there were a few moments that made me smile a little, but for the most part the humor is lame and unimaginative. The script certainly suffers for not being funny, but there are other problems with it. There isn't much of a plot here, for one thing, leading to a lot of padding. Another problem is that the screenplay doesn't flesh out its lead characters very well - when the two are given their mission and start out on it, we hardly have been given any character development at all. This may explain why actors Dave Thomas and Sally Kellerman seem to be phoning in their performances. In fact, all of the cast seem to be treating this acting job in a half- hearted manner. The icing on the cake is the often cheapjack feeling to the enterprise - it obviously didn't have a substantial budget. It's no wonder the movie was shelved for four years before being released straight to video and cable TV.

I have to begin this review by saying this movie is classic Get Smart style humor. If you don't like Get Smart, this movie isn't for you.The reason why this movie has mixed reviews is entirely and exclusively because people watch it thinking it's the cartoon. It's not. In fact, there's only one minor drawback, but it's a spoiler so I won't go into detail. Having said that, I'm still giving it 10 stars because I can't give 9 and 1/2.What to expect when you watch this movie:* Get Smart style humor, from the point of view of the bad guys. * Hogan's Heroes style humor where the bad people are sympathetic, but only so far you don't want them to die, but at the same time you don't want them to succeed. * Classic Humor. Basically, you will get slow parts. The slow parts exist for a reason. You can't have a point by point fast forward laugh track or it'd be too much. This kind of comedy, unfortunately, is lost on many in my generation. I find it to be perfect pacing, but I'm a big fan of classics, such as the "Road To" movies. * The Narrator breaks it up and adds some spice to the show. * Sight gags. If you have it on in the background you easily miss 60% of the jokes. * Puns that are gone as quick as they appear, so if you aren't paying attention, you're gonna miss the remaining 40% of the jokes.Boris and Natasha rely on terrible jokes, ridiculous situations, and a plot that shouldn't exist - because that's a classic form of comedy. It's like Adam West's Batman and his Emergency Can of Tomato Soup, or his bad one liners like "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"You gotta be in the right mood, you gotta love this type of comedy. If you are neither, you won't enjoy it.I actually kinda wish there was a live action series based off this. Kinda reminds me of that cartoon Kaput and Zosky - two aliens who travel the galaxy trying to conquer other worlds.

I'm not sure if this movie made it into theatres or not. If I remember correctly it had a short run in Canadian theatres but I could be wrong.The movie is the kind of screwball comedy in which Dave Thomas excels. He gives a great performance and really hams it up. I have been a big fan of his since the very earliest days of SCTV when it was still shot in Edmonton. There are a couple of other SCTV alumni in this movie also. Both Andrea Martin and John Candy spice things up a bit.The only slightly sour note is the casting of Sally Kellerman as Natasha. She does her usual quirky and funny job of acting and by no means did a bad job. However at the time this move was made she was into her 50s and 10 or 12 years older than Dave Thomas. So, even though they work well together, their chemistry could have been a bit better. No doubt she was cast because they needed a known name to go with Dave Thomas who was not known as a lead actor, and for that matter still isn't usually a lead.So in summary: If you get a chance to see this on Netflix or see the DVD on sale somewhere don't hesitate to watch it.

I just can't understand what people find to hate about this movie. Personally, I love it, but even then, everyone I've shown it to at least enjoy it, and mostly really like it.The bench mark test is the first ten minutes of the film. If you don't laugh during that, (and with as many silly references and witty wordplay you should) you won't during the rest of the film, because the humor stays at that same level.The comedy is quick, witty, and just as silly as the original Rocky and Bullwinkle show. The plot is complicated and keeps you guessing. And the surprise ending is brilliant.In all, this is an incredibly underrated little film; if you like the original show you would be in a sorry state not to catch this movie.