''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' is a 1993

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

and a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of the

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

story. The film was produced and directed by

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

, co-written by Brooks, Evan Chandler, and J. David Shapiro based on a story by Chandler and Shapiro, and stars

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor. He starred as Westley in ''The Princess Bride (film), The Princess Bride'' (1987), and also had lead roles in films such as ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993) and the Saw (fr ...

, Richard Lewis, and

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...

in his film debut. It includes frequent comedic references to previous ''Robin Hood'' films, particularly '' Prince of Thieves'' (upon which the plot is loosely structured), and the 1938

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

adaptation ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

''. Brooks himself had previously created the short-lived

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' When Things Were Rotten'' in the mid-1970s, which also spoofed the Robin Hood legend. The film also features Brooks in a minor role – the first time he had appeared in one of his own films in which he does not receive top billing or play the lead role since '' Young Frankenstein''. In addition to Brooks, it features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten (who had been a cast member on ''When Things Were Rotten'') in minor roles, as well as Rudy De Luca and

Gene Wilder Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Fa ...

in cameos as party guests, the latter of whom was uncredited. Reflecting its spoof nature, while some character names (such as Robin of Loxley and Maid Marian) remain unchanged from the source material, other names are altered:

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

becomes "Rottingham" and one of the Merry Men is given the name Will Scarlet O'Hara, referencing the character from ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''. Brooks, being Jewish, changed his cameo character from Friar Tuck to "Rabbi Tuckman". Though the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box-office success, grossing $72 million on a $20 million budget.

Plot

Robin of Loxley is captured during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

and is imprisoned in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. With the help of fellow inmate Asneeze, he escapes and frees the other inmates. Upon returning to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Robin finds Asneeze's son, Ahchoo, and discovers that Prince John has assumed control while King Richard is away fighting in the Crusades. Richard is unaware that the prince is abusing his power. Robin returns to his family home, Loxley Hall, only to find it being repossessed by John's men. His family's blind servant, Blinkin, informs Robin that his family is dead, and his father left him a key which opens "the greatest treasure in all the land." Robin recruits Little John and Will Scarlet O'Hara to help regain his father's land and oust Prince John from the throne. On his quest, Robin attracts the attention of Maid Marian of Bagelle, who wants to find the man who has the key to her

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, is an American Rapping, rapper, Singing, singer, and songwriter who was the Lead vocalist, frontman for Hip hop music, hip hop group House of Pain. ...

chastity belt A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Such belts were historically designed for women, ostensibly for the purpose of chastity, as an anti-rape device, or to dissuade women and thei ...

. They are also joined by Rabbi Tuckman, who shares with them his sacramental wine and bargain

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

s. While Robin is training his band of tights-clad

Merry Men The Merry Men are the group of Outlaw (stock character), outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The members of the group appear both collectively and individually in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remain ...

, the Sheriff of Rottingham hires the mafioso Don Giovanni to assassinate Robin at the Spring Festival. They plan to hold an archery tournament to attract Robin. Maid Marian hears of the plot, and sneaks out of her castle to warn Robin, accompanied by her heavyset, German lady-in-waiting, Broomhilde. At the archery tournament, a disguised Robin makes it to the final round, but loses after his arrow is split in two by his opponent. Confused that he lost, Robin reviews the movie's script to discover that he gets another shot. Giovanni's assassin attempts to kill Robin by shooting at him from Royal Folio Depository with a scoped crossbow, but Blinkin catches the arrow in midair. Robin then takes the second shot, this time using a special " PATRIOT arrow", hitting the target. Robin is arrested, with Marian promising to marry the Sheriff to spare his life. Robin and the Merry Men interrupt the wedding between the Sheriff and Maid Marian. She is carried off to the tower by the Sheriff, who wants to deflower her but cannot open her chastity belt. Robin arrives and duels the sheriff, during which Robin's key falls into the lock of Marian's chastity belt. After winning the fight, Robin spares the Sheriff's life, only to miss his sheath and accidentally run the Sheriff through. The witch Latrine, Prince John's cook and adviser, saves him by giving him a magical Life Saver in exchange for marriage. Before Robin and Marian can attempt to open the lock, Broomhilde arrives, insisting they get married first. Rabbi Tuckman conducts the ceremony, but they are suddenly interrupted by King Richard, recently returned from the Crusades, who orders Prince John to be taken away to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

and made part of the tour. Robin and Marian are married, and Ahchoo is made the new sheriff of Rottingham. That night, Robin and Maid Marian attempt to open the chastity belt, only to discover that even with the key, the lock won't open. The film ends with Robin calling for a locksmith.

Cast

* Richard Lewis as Prince John * Roger Rees as Sheriff of Rottingham *

Amy Yasbeck Amy Yasbeck (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom '' Wings'' from 1994 to 1997 and for having played the mermaid Madison in the television film '' Splash, Too'' in 1988 (the role ...

as Maid Marian *

as Ahchoo * Mark Blankfield as Blinkin * Eric Allan Kramer as Little John * Matthew Porretta as Will Scarlet O'Hara *

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

as Asneeze * Tracey Ullman as Latrine *

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

as King Richard * Dom DeLuise as

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

* Steve Tancora as Filthy Luca * Joe Dimmick as Dirty Ezio * Dick Van Patten as The Abbot *

as Rabbi Tuckman * Megan Cavanagh as Broomhilde * Avery Schreiber as Tax Assessor *

Chuck McCann Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 – April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. His career spanned over 70 years. He was best known for his work in presenting children's televi ...

as Villager * Brian George as Dungeon Maitre D' * Zitto Kazann as Head Saracen Guard * Richard Assad as Assistant Saracen Guard * Herman Poppe as Sheriff's Guard * Clive Revill as Fire Marshall * Joe Baker as Angry Villager *

Carol Arthur Carol Arthur DeLuise (born Carol Arata; August 4, 1935 – November 1, 2020), known professionally as Carol Arthur, was an American actress, mainly recognizable in supporting roles in films directed by Mel Brooks. Early life Arthur was born in ...

as Complaining Villager * Kelly Jones as Buxom Lass * Clement von Franckenstein as Royal Announcer * Robert Ridgely as The Hangman * Corbin Allred as Young Lad * Chase Masterson as Giggling Court Lady * Don Lewis as Mime * Roger Owens as Peanut Vendor * Patrick Valenzuela as Lead Camel Jockey * Steffon as Sherwood Forest Rapper * David DeLuise as Villager * Rudy De Luca as Party Guest * Marc Ian Sklar as Merry Man (uncredited) * Tim Storms as Merry Man (uncredited)

Reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote, "What's missing is the kind of densely packed comic screenplay that helped to make '' Young Frankenstein'' and '' High Anxiety'' two of the most delectable movie parodies of the last 20 years. ''Men in Tights'' has the manner of something that wasn't argued over long enough. A few good gags are supplemented by dozens of others that still need to be worked on or tossed out entirely." Caryn James wrote, "''Men in Tights'' is not as relentlessly clever and comic as his '70s films, but its funniest moments prove that Mr. Brooks has not lost his shrewd, nutty irreverence."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' gave the film half of one star out of four and called it "a most disappointing Mel Brooks movie parody that suggests that the once hilarious Brooks has lost his way. The pacing is agonizingly slow, and many of the jokes are recycled from his earlier, better work." Rita Kempley of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' called it "a pointless and untimely lampoon of ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' from the increasingly creaky spoofmeister Mel Brooks." Peter Rainer of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' was mixed, writing that "what's enjoyable about the best parts of ''Men in Tights'' is its grab-bag, throwaway style", but also finding "something a little dutiful and desperate about portions of the film, as if Brooks were trying to capture an audience he didn't really connect with." Jay Boyar of the ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'' called the film "crashingly unfunny" and a sign that "the 67-year old comedian's sense of humor isn't nearly as sharp as it once was." In his book, ''Reel Bad Arabs'',

Jack Shaheen Jack George Shaheen Jr. (; September 21, 1935 – July 9, 2017) was an American writer and lecturer specializing in addressing racial and ethnic stereotypes. He authored ''Reel Bad Arabs'' (adapted to a 2006 documentary), ''The TV Arab'' (1984) ...

saw the movie positively, describing it as a "funny fable" that spoofs ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', containing "harmless visual and verbal puns". On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds a critics’ approval rating of 42%, based on 45 review but a Popcornmeter audience rating of 81% based on over 250,000 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Undisciplined, scatological, profoundly silly, and often utterly groan-worthy, ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' still has an amiable, anything-goes goofiness that has made it a cult favorite." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film holds a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews, and a 6.1 user score. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Over time, the film has developed a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

Box office

''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' debuted at number six at the weekend box office in the United States, with a gross of $6.8 million and a total of over $10 million, after opening on the previous Wednesday. Fox was reportedly "thrilled" with the film's performance. The film went on to gross $35.7 million in the United States and Canada. It is Brooks' fifth-highest-grossing film. Internationally it grossed $36.3 million for a worldwide total of $72 million. Brooks has mentioned that ''Men in Tights'' and '' Spaceballs'' are his two top-selling films on video in a DVD interview for the latter film.

Soundtrack

Home media

''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' was released via

Laserdisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

and

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

in 1994 by Fox Video. A Region 1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and was doubled-featured with '' Spaceballs'' on February 6, 2007. Columbia TriStar also released the film on DVDs, VHS and Laserdisc in other territories from 1994 to 2002, while

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...

re-released the DVDs from 2006 to 2016. The film was released on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

on May 11, 2010, and was re-released in a DVD Combo Pack on October 1, 2018, in the United States, Fabulous Films on April 22, 2019, in Europe, and

Umbrella Entertainment Umbrella Entertainment is a privately-held Australian film production and distribution company that began operating in 2001. It is based in Kew, Victoria. Umbrella Entertainment manages the theatrical, physical, and digital releases of Australia ...

on December 15, 2021, in Australia.

References

External links

*
''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' at AllMovie
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robin Hood Men In Tights Robin Hood films Robin Hood parodies 1993 films 1990s adventure films 1990s parody films American adventure comedy films American satirical films Films directed by Mel Brooks Films produced by Mel Brooks American parody films Films set in 12th-century Plantagenet England American slapstick comedy films American self-reflexive films Gaumont (company) films Columbia Pictures films 20th Century Fox films Crusades films Brooksfilms films Films with screenplays by Mel Brooks Films about royalty Cultural depictions of Clint Eastwood Cultural depictions of Marlon Brando Films scored by Hummie Mann Cultural depictions of Richard I of England 1993 comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language adventure films