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Spaceballs (1987)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 35
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 16

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

audience

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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 405,540

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Movie Info

A space bum helps rescue a princess from an evil overlord with the help of a benevolent elder in this Star Wars send-up written and directed by Mel Brooks. Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog co-pilot, Barf the Mawg (John Candy), are content to scour the galaxy living the easy life. But they reluctantly come to the rescue when Druish Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is threatened by the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), who wants to steal all of the air from her planet,

PG, 1 hr. 36 min.

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

Directed By: Mel Brooks

Written By: Mel Brooks, RONNY GRAHAM

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1987 Wide

On DVD: May 2, 2000

MGM

Spaceballs Trailer & Photos

Cast

Mel Brooks
President Skroob, Yogur...
John Candy
Barf the Mawg Co-Pilot
Rick Moranis
Lord Dark Helmet
Bill Pullman
Lone Starr Space Bum
Daphne Zuniga
Princess Vespa
John Hurt
Himself
Dick Van Patten
King Roland Ruler of Dr...
George Wyner
Col. Sandurz
Michael Winslow
Radar Technician
Joan Rivers
Dot Matrix
Lorene Yarnell
Dot Matrix Droid Maid
Sal Viscuso
Radio Operator
RONNY GRAHAM
Minister
Jim J. Bullock
Prince Valium
Leslie Bevis
Commanderette Zircon
Jim Jackman
Maj. Asshole
Denise Gallup
Charlene
Sandy Helberg
Dr. Schlotkin
Jack Riley
TV Newsman
Tom Dreeson
Megamaid Guard
Rudy De Luca
Vinnie
Deanna Booher
Bearded Lady
Dom DeLuise
Pizza the Hutt
Tony Cox
The Dinks
Rick Ducommun
Prison Guard
Earl Finn
Guard with Captain
Ed Gale
Dink #1
Arturo Gil
The Dinks
Tony Griffin
Prison Guard
Henry Kaiser
Magnetic Beam Operator
Jeff MacGregor
Snotty
Bryan O'Byrne
Organist
Ken Olfson
Head Usher
Michael Pniewski
Laser Gunner
Robert Prescott
Sand Cruiser Driver
Tim Russ
Trooper
Rhonda Shear
Woman in Diner
Felix Silla
The Dinks
Johnny Silver
Caddy
Tommy Swerdlow
Troop Leader
Dey Young
Waitress
Ira Miller
Short Order Cook
Stephen Tobolowsky
Captain of the Guard
Gail Barle
Waitress
Mitchell Bock
Video Operator
Brenda Strong
Nurse
Jonathan Wayne Wilson
Trucker in Cap

Critic Reviews for Spaceballs

All Critics (35) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (19) | DVD (28)

The crew flings itself energetically through space in search of laughs, but it will never penetrate the galaxy where Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein traced their giddy orbits.

January 18, 2011 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comments (2)

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

The film's low-tech styling is roughly the cardboard inversion of the cinematic machines it parodies, and Brooks seems less inclined than usual to push the overkill urges too far.

January 18, 2011 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Pat Graham

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Mel Brooks will do anything for a laugh. Unfortunately, what he does in Spaceballs, a misguided parody of the Star Wars adventures, isn't very funny.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

If it isn't likely to generate what Mr. Brooks himself refers to as 'Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money, neither is it anything less than gentle, harmless satire that occasionally has real bite.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

How do you review a movie like this, anyway? I guess by saying whether you laughed or not. I did laugh, but not enough to recommend the film.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comments (7)

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

The jokes in the films are all pretty much in the same vein -- you might call it borsch-belt postmodern -- and they're all on about the same level, too.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Hal Hinson

Washington Post

Top Critic

The jokes about the more calculating aspects of George Lucas's franchise are particularly telling. Remember, the Schwartz will be with you always.

January 18, 2011 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Unforgiveable then, unforgiveable now.

January 18, 2011 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment (1)

Empire Magazine

It's mostly forced humor all the way, a movie that rarely measures up to adequate kitsch.

January 18, 2011 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment (1)

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Goofy parody mocks the Star Wars series.

January 2, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Paul Trandahl

Common Sense Media

Ainda que n�o consiga recapturar a acidez e a intelig�ncia de seus esfor�os da primeira fase da carreira, Brooks consegue divertir gra�as a algumas belas sacadas e ao simples conceito de Moranis como Dark Helmet.

January 23, 2010 Comment

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

This is possibly the last great film that Mel Brooks directed

August 19, 2009 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

| Comment (1)

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Despite the dirty jokes hidden in plain sight ('Never underestimate the power of the Schwartz!'), Spaceballs is a PG-rated comedy that makes silliness sublime. [Blu-ray]

June 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews

| Comment

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews Source: Groucho Reviews

Mel Brooks trashes Star Wars; very funny

March 14, 2007 Comment

Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly Source: Atlantic City Weekly

Typically, the best conceits end in pratfalls, and non-Brooks fans may find that the gravitational pull towards the thumpingly obvious outweighs the wit.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Time Out

One of the few screwball comedies that everyone must experience at least once.

July 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

| Comment

Jason Zingale

Bullz-Eye.com

Most jokes have a forced quality, but there's something gleefully self-aware about them, like the vaudeville comedian whose act consists of telling bad jokes and laughing at them, but doing it all with exquisite timing.

May 22, 2005 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

A satiric and proudly low-brow salute to science fiction...

May 12, 2005 Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine

| Comment

Brent Simon

Now Playing Magazine Source: Now Playing Magazine

Because the Star Wars and Star Trek mythologies are such potent forces in our pop culture, Brooks' scattershot spoof has endeared itself to a whole generation.

May 10, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Spaceballs

View All

I think like a lot of people, I saw Mel Brooks' space opera spoof classic Spaceballs at a young age. Of course, anything to do with Star Wars at that age captured my imagination, but this was a fun movie on its own. To this day, it still holds just as much appeal as it did back then, perhaps even more so. Now, as an

January 11, 2007

Tim Salmons

Super Reviewer

Probably the last modern Brooks spoof before he lost his touch. There is another excellent cast here, the usual brooks gang, the highlight has to be Moranis as 'Dark Helmet', this guy totally runs the show and the laughs in this film with his sidekick George Wyner as 'Col. Sanders'. But lets not forget Brooks and his

August 8, 2007

Phil Hubbard

Super Reviewer

Spaceballs Quotes

View All

1. Lord Dark Helmet: [breathes heavily, Darth Vader-style] I can't breathe in this thing!
– Submitted by Eli A (4 months ago)
1. Yogurt: Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower. [turns it on] Dink, Dink, Dink, Dink, Dink, Dink: Ooooh! [reacts to dinks] The kids love this one.
– Submitted by Thaddeus B (6 months ago)
1. Yogurt: May the schwartz be with you!
– Submitted by Ryan M (7 months ago)
1. Lord Dark Helmet: Lone Starr, I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.
2. Lone Starr Space Bum: What does that make us?
3. Lord Dark Helmet: Absolutely Nothing!
– Submitted by Tyler C (10 months ago)
1. Lord Dark Helmet: What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz? CHICKEN?
– Submitted by Tyler C (10 months ago)

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Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try.
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