The Family Jewels

Seven Jerry Lewises! Any sane person's worst nightmare. Still, almost as satisfying an autocritique as the Nutty Professor. But there are parts of this film that are among the most inventive in his oeuvre - I especially love the pool game, the mounting chaos of the gas station sequence, and the use of the unreliable narrator in the torpedo sequence. Less sure about Donna Butterworth's performance, and totally baffled by the scenes featuring Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Typically episodic, but moments of genuine humour and cleverness shine through, especially in the plane sequence where the characters of an in-flight movie are impacted by turbulence. It plays like an extended greatest hits reel showcasing Lewis' talent for physical comedy and playing multiple characters with goofy gag store attire. The pool game scene ranks among his funniest moments, and there are enough creative ideas sprinkled onto this nutty romp to compensate for the occasional lulls.

Not bad, I laughed. A lot of the jokes fall flat and there's too much mugging for the camera, but enough of it works to make it ok.

"With The Family Jewels, Lewis seems more willing than ever to acknowledge his own hostility towards being dismissed as a kids' entertainer." - Eric Henderson