“Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man,” is a touching and expansive documentary about the writer/director of such films as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” and “Young Frankenstein,” among others, co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.
Running in two parts, and available on HBO and HBO Max, “The 99 Year Old Man,” traces Brooks’ life from his Brooklyn childhood to his service in World War II, to his writing for the legendary “Your Show of Shows,” to his illustrious movie career and then late-in-life resurgence with the Broadway musical version of “The Producers.”
But that’s not the great stuff. The really fascinating material comes from listening to Brooks talk – he’s a fabulous raconteur, by turns silly and profound, with a deep appreciation for the art of comedy. There’s also his long marriage to the great actress Anne Bancroft, to whom he credits much of his success because she stood by him when his career was in the crapper. And there’s his even longer friendship with Carl Reiner, with whom he wrote for Sid Caesar and then created the “Two Thousand Year Old Man” routine that was the stuff of pure genius.
The number of people – family and friends, co-stars and collaborators – who show up to give testimony about Brooks’ life and work is extraordinary, but perhaps none is so touching is the late Rob Reiner, who in the film provides great insight into Brooks and his father.
Just a wonderful, wonderful piece of work … I laughed a lot, I teared up occasionally, but mostly I wanted to go back and revisit much of Brooks’ work, who gave us all such joy over the past decades.
I think it is fair to say that there is nobody like him, and never will be again.
I have a lovely wine to recommend to you this week – the 2020 Ashby Park Coastal Reserve Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied California red that I served the other night with a lamb and artichoke stew. It was perfect. (The stew was pretty yummy, too.)
That’s it for now. See you next week from the National Grocers Association (NGA) show in Las Vegas.
Sláinte!!
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