Top 5 – Gene Wilder Movies

Tragedy struck again yesterday, when it was reported that the great Gene Wilder had passed away.  He was one of the finest comedic actors we ever had.  His combination of his dry, quick one-liners and gift for the art of acting made him a staple in the 70’s and an icon.  In honor of the great actor, here are my favorite Gene Wilder movies.

5 – HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL (Arthur Hiller, 1989)

Gene Wilder is deaf.  Richard Pryor is blind.  The two become entangled in a murder mystery, but neither of them have a clue what is going on.  What transpires through out this movie is slapstick gold.  Wilder and Pryor were a spectacular comedy duo in the 80’s, as their respective styles complimented each other quite well.  Out of all the movies they did, this by far my favorite.  It’s offensive, smart, compelling, and always hilarious.  This was one of the last films the two did together, and it is certainly their best.

4 – BLAZING SADDLES  (Mel Brooks, 1973)

Here comes the Mel Brooks run.  The 70’s is where Wilder really hit his career peak as an actor and a lot of that is thanks to Mel Brooks.  The two formed a relationship similar to that turned into the comedy version of Scorsese and De Niro.  Brooks brought out the best in Wilder and Wilder brought out the best in Brooks.  In Blazing Saddles, Brooks’ wildly biting and offensive Western, Wilder plays a once great sharpshooter who befriends the new town sheriff.  Wilder is just wonderful in this movie.  He’s as funny as ever and plays to the Western genre perfectly.  This is an all-time classic.

3 – THE PRODUCERS (Mel Brooks, 1968)

Wilder’s first and only Oscar nomination for acting came from his first teaming with Mel Brooks.  This was Brooks’ directorial debut and it put him and Wilder on the comedic map.  Wilder plays a naive accountant who is swindled by a Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) to raise a bunch of money to make a sure-fire flop.  Brooks certainly made a statement with this one, pushing the boundaries of political correctness by making fun of every race, religion, and culture.  Wilder steals the show as Leopold Bloom.  His dimwitted innocence is perfect and his insane love for his blue blankey will make you cry from laughter.  Once again, this is a classic.

2 – YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Mel Brooks, 1974)

Young Frankenstein is my favorite Mel Brooks movie.  I think that it is a perfect comedy in every way, shape, and form.  It’s brilliantly written, acted, and directed, while also being consistently hilarious and smart.  Wilder plays Dr. Frankenstein (pronounced Fronkenstein), a scientist struggling to prove himself that travels to Transylvania and discovers a process that reanimates dead bodies.  This is a showcase for Wilder, as this is the one film of Brooks’ that he is the sole lead actor.  This is where his combination of dry wit and wild insanity form a perfect unison and one of the greatest comedic performances of all-time.  And, we get the amazing ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ dance number, which is one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever.  This is one of the five greatest comedies of all-time and the peak of the Brooks/Wilder films.

1 – WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Mel Stuart, 1971)

I mean, obviously, right?  In this pitch perfect adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book, Wilder gives an astounding performance that will make you believe in the power of imagination.  He plays the bizarre, slightly disgruntled, yet always smiling owner of a chocolate factory, who gives a group of lucky children a tour of his factory in hopes of finding the right one to take it over.  Arguably the creepiest children’s movie ever, this is an emotional roller coaster of laughter, tears, fear, and drama, all rolled into a magical, candy-colored ball (pun intended).  This is Wilder’s movie right from his first scene.  Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka.  He brings us into this fantastical world of endless possibilities and is such a joy to watch.  This is one of the seminal movies of my life and Wilder’s performance is one I will never forget.

R.I.P. Mr. Wilder.  You were one of the greats.