My Favorite Year

Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year (1982) is a clever, affectionate film that works as a satire of television and a look at the illusory nature of fame. This isn't necessarily an original concept, but rarely if ever has it been better-explored than here. Year is unquestionably a hilarious film - indeed, one of my favorite comedies of all time - but it's also a very poignant, human one that succeeds on multiple levels.

Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) is a writer working for the Comedy Cavalcade, a popular '50s comedy show starring "King" Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). Stone convinces Kaiser and his bosses to have legendary movie star Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) as a guest on the show. Unfortunately, Swann proves to be a drunken wastrel in real life, and Stone is forced to keep an eye on the wayward star, with shenanigans ensuing. Also featuring in the plot are Stone's budding romance with pretty assistant K.C. (Jessica Harper), and the show's clash with crime figure Boss Rojeck (Cameron Mitchell) over a sketch spoofing the latter's corruption.

My Favorite Year is a breezy, self-assured comedy that never falters. Based on the real-life experiences of Mel Brooks writing for Sid Caesar's Show of Shows, it certainly has an air of authenticity and reality that many show biz satires are lacking. The movie avoids revelling in '50s nostalgia too much, a failing of many similar films, while maintaining a believable sense of time and place. Writers Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo hit all the right notes with a witty, fast-paced script, and director Benjamin's attention to detail and characters is exquisite.

The movie manages to balance both humor and poignance. Swann is a surprisingly well-rounded character; a drunken wastrel and womanizer, he is haunted by his inability to live up to his legendary screen image. Terrified of actually performing, unable to go a day with drinking, in tax trouble with the government, and with a terror (he has an illegitimate daughter he can't bring himself to talk to), Swann is a failure shielded by his star persona and irascible charm. Only the poignant pleading of Benjy - a die-hard fan who took Swann's films (including a clip of Lord Jim) at face-value - forces Swann to live up to his image. The film pulls this off so these scenes are genuinely rather than maudlin. The cute romance subplot is well-done, taking enough time to develop without detracting from the main story. The scenes with the supporting cast - the banter among the prickly writing staff, Kaiser's hilarious mugging in front of Rojeck - is just as funny and well-observed as the protagonists' big scenes. Not surprisingly, movie builds to a wacky, chaotic climax - an on-air fisticuffs between Swann, Kaiser and Rojeck's goons - which is one of the best comedic set-pieces in film history, leading to a genuinely poignant conclusion.

Peter O'Toole gives a fine performance as Swann. O'Toole is great at humor both broad and witty (cf. also How to Steal a Million and The Ruling Class) and needless to say, his portrayal of the drunken Stone - ostensibly based on Errol Flynn, but I imagine drawing more than a bit from his own persona - provides some priceless gags and quotable dialogue. O'Toole also does a great job exploring the sadder side of his character - particularly the poignant scene where he watches his daughter at her home, afraid to actually approach her. It may not be O'Toole's absolute best performance, but it's the perfect blend of fun and touching.

The rest of the cast is generally solid. Mark Linn-Baker is likeable if a bit broad as Stone; his best moments are wooing K.C. and explaining his affection for Alan. Jessica Harper (the girl from Suspiria) is lovely and cute as the love interest, and Joseph Bologna steals every scene as the tough guy prima donna Sid Caesar - er, King Kaiser. The rest of the cast - Bill Macy, Cameron Mitchell, Lainie Kazan, Anne De Salvo, Basil Hoffman, Lou Jacobi - all turn in fine performances.

My Favorite Year is just a lovely film. Go see it.