MovieChat Forums > Sleeper (1973) Discussion > Why People Think This is Overrated

Why People Think This is Overrated

posted 8 years ago by evanevan
5 replies | jump to latest

I'm reading a lot of messages on this board saying this film is overrated. Most are people who either aren't Woody Allen fans or they have just seen it for the first time.
I think a lot of the problem is that even though it's still a great comedy, a lot of the comedy was based on references to 1970s culture. A lot of people under the age of 40 probably not know who Albert Shanker, Howard Cosell was. If a few years kids won't get the Playboy magazine reference either. The Volkswagen joke probably goes over peoples heads not realizing how well built the Beetles were. "I parked right near the hospital" only New Yorkers would get the New York parking problem reference.
But it is still a silly, fun picture and the scene of first seeing Allen disguised as a robot is still funny.

[–] bradhbbrd 8 years ago

That's the problem with topical humor.
Family Guy is a good example because alot of the random cut aways will be severely dated to future audiences.

However I think enough still holds it together to make it a good comedy.

Take Chaplains Modern Times for example, it still is fun even though it's almost a century old.

[–] snelling 8 years ago

How can this movie be overrated when almost nobody has seen it?

"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer Simpson--" - Frank Grimes

[–] Druff (1848) 4 years ago

How young and stupid does one have to be to think "almost nobody" has seen a classic Woody Allen movie?

[–] OnanTheBarbarian (13205) 2 years ago

Hahaha. Thank you. I get that a lot on these movie forums. If it's over 20 years old they can't comprehend it. I just know when I was a 20-something I watched and enjoyed plenty of 50+ year old movies.

[–] MikeCable (1919) 3 years ago

I love a lot of the gags in this movie and the lines quickly delivered by Allen. The one about something "with the body of a crab and the head of a social worker" cracked me up. Loved the VW and hospital parking gags.