Dracula: Something's Missing

It's a real shame, being the huge Mel Brooks fan that I am, but I really find myself making an effort to like this movie, to watch it again and again just trying to defend it.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It stars Leslie Nielson, of Naked Gun, Police Squad, and Spy Hard, as the immortal blood-sucking fiend Count Dracula. The plot, nothing extraordinary, involves Dracula's taking up residence in England and being found out by his victims' family.

The movie also features bits from Peter MacNicol (Ally McBeal) as one of the most amusing characters, Renfield, Dracula's brainwashing, simpleton assistant. Renfield plays a more traditional idiot sidekick role than Igor in Brooks' other horror piece, Young Frankenstein.

For the most part, this movie parodies Bram Stoker's Dracula, made in the early 1990s. The humor comes in in place of Brooks' flat characters, each of whom revolves around his/her unique and amusing traits. The problem with this movie isn't the characters--they are comically created and well portrayed, but with what they do. The plot just doesn't work well as a laugh factory comedy, as it moves too slowly for the jokes to really reach a pinnacle level.

Some brilliant moments include all the blood scenes, with their comically overdone quality, and Renfield's bug eating, which is a classic example of Brooks-style humor.
However, for the most part, the plot just doesn't make way for a lot of jokes and, let's face it, that's why audience's watch Mel Brooks movies--for lots of silly laughs with a few witty ones mixed in. This is definitely better than Brooks' Life Stinks, but it doesn't come close to classics like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

Overall, I recommend this movie for watching with a group of people, for fans of Brooks' mediocre movies like To Be or Not To Be which relies on plot developments, or fans of dumb Nielson comedies from the last few years, like Spy Hard, Mr. Magoo, etc. He's done a lot of 'em.