Curator Watchlist
A brisk, often funny Roman farce with lively performances and a playful, old-school comic rhythm, but it’s also very much a product of its era: the humor is uneven, the adaptation is noticeably trimmed, and the treatment of women and slavery can be hard to ignore. Best approached as a broad, silly musical comedy… Read more
Where to watch: Buy
Sun · 1h 37m
Director: Richard Lester
Starring: Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
Richard Lester
Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers
A brisk, often funny Roman farce with lively performances and a playful, old-school comic rhythm, but it’s also very much a product of its era: the humor is uneven, the adaptation is noticeably trimmed, and the treatment of women and slavery can be hard to ignore. Best approached as a broad, silly musical comedy rather than a faithful or especially progressive one.
This is a fast-moving, deliberately ridiculous Roman farce that lives or dies on its comic energy. When it clicks, it’s buoyant and mischievous, with Zero Mostel anchoring the chaos and Richard Lester keeping things in motion with a loose, anything-goes spirit. The film has a genuine sense of vaudevillian momentum, and that helps it stay entertaining even when the jokes are broad or the plotting is mostly an excuse for one gag after another.
The catch is that the movie’s sense of humor is very dated. Some of the material lands as crude, sexist, or simply strained by modern standards, and the adaptation’s cuts from the stage version are hard to miss if you know the source. It can feel like a film that wants the freedom of a farce while also carrying the baggage of a much older comic tradition.
If you’re in the mood for a classic studio musical that values speed, silliness, and performers mugging their way through ancient Rome, it’s worth a look. If you want elegance, emotional depth, or a cleaner contemporary sensibility, this is more likely to be a curiosity than a favorite.
James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 596 likes
Very fun but how do you cut that many songs from the original musical and still sleep at night
Zack Bender (4★) · 151 likes
"I didn't like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To the Forum at all." "I find Kevin Hart's stand up to be really funny." -multiple people in my theater class. You know, I kind of just wanted to shoot myself reading some of the discussion for this movie. There's people that find humor in some stupid bullshit. Then again, this movie is stupid bullshit to some folks. Well I found it to be enjoyable. Zero Mostel is a fun… more
Robin (2★) · 139 likes
Buster Keaton thirst watches are rough
StormofCuteness (1★) · 78 likes
How long do you need to have watched a film to claim you've seen it? I really don't know, but I turned this off half way though because I had taken a rather instanteous dislike for it--which only got worse. Reasons I wanted to watch this: I love Stephen Sondheim, and this is one I only know one song from. I have greatly enjoyed Zero Mostel in Broadway cast albums and on screen. It's Buster Keaton's last film. Reason's I… more
abby (2.5★) · 77 likes
lesson: don't cut sondheim songs
Shares the same appetite for manic performance, outrageous comic timing, and gleeful theatrical excess.
A nimble, absurdist costume comedy with rapid-fire gags and a similar love of elaborate nonsense.
Classic farce built on escalating confusion, verbal play, and anarchic comic momentum.
Light, elegant slapstick with a mischievous tone and a strong sense of comic timing.
Big, noisy, old-school comedy chaos with a parade of broad performances and escalating absurdity.
Another widescreen, high-energy comedy that leans into spectacle, pratfalls, and cartoonish rivalry.
A mid-60s ensemble comedy that mixes farce with frantic misunderstandings and social satire.
Stylish 1960s caper comedy with a playful tone and polished comic chemistry.
A sharp, character-driven comedy that balances broad humor with strong comic performances.
For viewers who enjoy swashbuckling energy, clear comic rhythms, and old studio polish.
A big, buoyant musical comedy with old-fashioned showmanship and a fondness for comic exaggeration.
Gentler but similarly rooted in mid-century comic sensibility and romantic misunderstanding.
farce, ancient Rome, slavery and freedom, romantic misunderstanding, sexual politics, physical comedy, stage-to-screen adaptation, ensemble chaos
classic musical, farce, Roman setting, physical comedy, 1960s cinema, ensemble comedy, adaptation, broad humor, old Hollywood, satire
Open A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Sun ) on Curator TV