How can a movie with this comedy pedigree be so unfunny?
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Peter Cook, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Spike Milligan, Cheech and Chong...
Written by Chapman, Cook, Bernard McKenna (who also played Askey) and an uncredited David Sherlock.
All that talent...
Both Cleese and Idle thought this this was a horrible movie (though Idle said that he had a great time filming it). Seems like the story misses so many incredible comedic opportunites with the characters. It's quite breathtaking the way Yellowbeard squanders almost every single comedic actor in this film.
The center of the story should've been about Yellowbeard and Dan, the son he never knew he had, while the two attempt to recover Yellowbeard's treasure. Instead the plot unneccessarily complicates things by having Boyle and Feldman's characters, Moon and Gilbert, shanghai Dan and his compatriots onto a ship (on which Yellowbeard also stows away), keeping the pirate and his son separate until almost the end of the film.
Meanwhile, in another humorless strand, Idle's Commander Clement follows on his ship - seeking the same treasure. He's abducted Madeline Kahn's Mrs. Beard and is trying to extract information from her on the treasure's whereabouts. But, wait a minute, isn't he following the ship for that very reason??
Apparently there were four version of this script. I think another try was in order. And considering that two very funny writers, Feldman and Cleese, were in the cast, there was no excuse not to have them help rewrite the dreadful script. Writing partners Cleese and Chapman had worked well together balancing each other out on Monty Python's Flying Circus. Maybe Cleese could've done the same here.
There are a few pleasures, like seeing a young Nigel Planner, and the cameo by David Bowie, but those aren't enough to outweigh the negative - a big one being that this film took Marty Feldman from this world. It may seem unfair to place the blame there but he was unable to get proper medical attention for his heart attack because an ambulance couldn't get through the horrible traffic. He died on location in Mexico.