Mr. Magoo (1997)
Average Rating: 2.2/10
Reviews Counted: 27
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 26
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 2/10
Critic Reviews: 9
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.3/5
User Ratings: 35,667
Movie Info
Action-adventure director Stanley Tong (Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx) did a change of pace by directing this live-action adaptation of UPA's bumbling, near-sighted Mr. Magoo the animated-series character created during the '40s by John Hubley and others for the cartoon short Ragtime Bear (1949). Millionaire Quincy Magoo (Leslie Nielsen) won't admit he needs glasses, so nephew Waldo (Matt Keeslar) removes obstacles in Magoo's path. At a museum exhibition, when Magoo steps up to cut a ceremonial
Dec 25, 1997 Wide
Jul 17, 2001
Cast
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Leslie Nielsen
Mr. Magoo -
Kelly Lynch
Luanne Leseur -
Matt Keeslar
Waldo -
Nick Chinlund
Bob Morgan -
Stephen Tobolowsky
Agent Chuck Stupak -
Ernie Hudson
Agent Gus Anders -
Jennifer Garner
Stacey Sampanahoditra -
Malcolm McDowell
Austin Cloquet -
Miguel Ferrer
Ortega Peru
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All Critics (28) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (1) | Rotten (26) | DVD (2)
By turns frenetic and flat-footed, Mr. Magoo is an uninspired live-action comedy.
Top CriticIf you really hate your kids, pack them off to this slapdash farce, whose only funny moment is the PC disclaimer at the end about the Disney company's humanist concern for blind people.
Incomplete as a cartoon, indecisive as comedy, halting as adventure, Mr. Magoo turns out to be a shortsighted project.
Here's where I'm supposed to suggest how the film might be better. But I can't think of anything to say other than to make the film again, with different writers and a new director.
Only a couple of good gags in its pileup of otherwise lame jokes keep the production from being an unqualified stinker.
Mr. Magoo is not just an insult to the blind and near-blind, it's an insult to every human being who has the misfortune to suffer through this dreadfully unfunny, 90 minute atrocity.
Nielsen, an actor who is either brilliant or abysmal depending on the material, veers towards the latter.
Instantly forgettable but fun while it lasts.
Stinkier than a visit to the local tip
The film is almost unbearable.
A lousy movie without a single laugh.
One star, for principle.
Among those who will be insulted by this painfully unfunny comedy are women, the elderly and members of several ethnicities, as well as moviegoers with even the slightest modicum of taste.
Hopefully, this picture will force producers to think harder about which subjects have promise and which do not.
It's a mess best left to the nitrate ashes of forgotten film and television history.
Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
When even the outtakes you see over the end titles don't raise a single titter, you know you're in trouble.
I grew up with Mr. Magoo. I watched Mr. Magoo. I loved Mr. Magoo. Leslie Nielsen, you're no Mr. Magoo.
Audience Reviews for Mr. Magoo
Super Reviewer
Mr. Magoo is a VERY visually impaired and wealthy man. He unfortunately gets involved in the middle of a plot that deals with thieves stealing extremely valuable jewels. Whether Mr. Magoo successfully gets out of the middle of the action or not, one thing's for sure, he sure needs a new eye doctor.
Unlike what I've read from some of the other reviews, I didn't think that Leslie Nielsen did a bad job at all in "Mr. Magoo." I do agree that the movie seems generic and that it is somewhat pointless, but I still moderately liked it. Mr. Magoo isn't trying to be funny, but he is, since he is nearly blind. You will see him do such things such as go fishing and catch a man, but think that he has a lunker of a fish, take what he thinks is a skiing detour, but that is actually the edge of a cliff, and a lot more.
I thought Leslie Nielsen did a great job of acting like he was nearly blind, and the rest of the people in the film did ok, but not great, with the exception of the dog, who was brilliant.
As for the movie itself, "Mr. Magoo" isn't one of the best comedies and it's not one of the funniest, but I did think parts were hilarious. But there were also many parts that tried to be funny, that didn't even make me grin. All in all, it's a mixed bag of laughs and failed grins. If you're a fan of comedy movies and Leslie Nielsen films, I would recommend renting "Mr. Magoo" before buying it. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
Super Reviewer
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- Agent Chuck Stupak: It's Luanne Leseur, the Black Widow. She kills all of her male accomplices. No one has ever been able to finger her.
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- Mr. Magoo: [talking to a bush who looks like his secretary] Goodnight Mrs. Winterbottom!... ugliest hair-do I've ever seen.
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- Mr. Magoo: Ugliest child I've ever seen!
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Movie: ID: 11942 Title: Mr. Magoo Release Date: 1997-12-25 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 2 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Mr Magoo (UK)
