Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this movie is up to its Dark Helmet in off-color jokes, sexual innuendo, and potty humor. When you're not giggling, you might cringe at the kind of humor it inspires in your tweens ... but, then again, they've probably seen a lot iffier stuff than this.
Families can talk about other film or TV parodies they enjoy. For example, The Simpsons is one of the best examples of parody used as social commentary; what can funny imitations point out that serious analysis may render too boring?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Paul Trandahl
When spoiled Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is kidnapped by President Srkoob's (Mel Brooks) evil regime, it's up to scruffy hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his faithful companion Barf (John Candy) to rescue her.
Brooks's Star Wars parody isn't particularly sophisticated, but older kids and teens should have fun with the goofy humor -- like most Brooks fare, SPACEBALLS revels in crude, sometimes infantile gags.
For example: When the Darth Vader-inspired character, Dark Helmet, first appears, he approaches the camera, breathing heavily through his face-obscuring mask. Suddenly he flips up the front of the mask to reveal a nerdy-looking Rick Moranis, who exclaims, "I can't breathe in this thing!"
One of the great virtues of Brooks' masterwork, Young Frankenstein, was its beautiful re-creation of the look of the horror films of the 1930s, which added punch to all the ensuing silliness. Here, you don't really get the impression of watching a Star Wars movie gone mad: Many of the cheap-ish looking sets wouldn't look out of place on an episode of Saturday Night Live.
Nevertheless, there are moments when the movie shines. Excessive merchandising is taken to task in a very funny scene in which Yogurt (Brooks again) hawks everything from Spaceballs the toilet paper to Spaceballs the flame thrower ("the kids love this one!"). And the movie's most memorable gag pays tribute to both the Alien series and the classic Chuck Jones cartoon "One Froggy Evening." Another good bit manages to work in a re-creation of the famous conclusion of Planet of the Apes.
Older kids and teens will probably get the biggest kick out of Spaceballs, particularly if they're fans of the movies this one is spoofing. And parents who don't mind a little off-color humor will likely get a giggle or two out of it, too.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentLots of groin-related jokes, the most explicit when Dark Helmet and Lone Starr activate their light sabers while cupping privates. President Skroob is shown in bed with a pair of twins. Much is made of preserving Princess Vespa's virginity. |
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ViolenceSome cartoonish violence. Princess Vespa shoots a group of enemy soldiers with a ray gun. Dark Helmet uses "The Schwartz" to inflict pain on a man's genitalia. |
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LanguageLots of PG cursing, "s--t" being the most frequent. "F--k" is uttered once by Dark Helmet. |
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Social BehaviorSome ethnic humor relating to Jewish and African-American stereotypes. Princess Vespa, with an increasingly skimpy outfit, is a not particularly independent woman. |
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CommercialismThe movie mocks excessive movie commercialism. Lone Starr pilots a Winnebago, and Princess Vespa's ship is a Mercedes. |
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