Not every comedy can be "Airplane!", "murder by Death", "Foul Play", "What's Up Doc" or early Mel Brooks movies. Those are the films that I can watch over and over again and continue to laugh at each time. This film, an early 80's variation of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", followed the previous year's "Scavenger Hunt" for showing groups of greedy people on a mission. That film had me laughing on occasion the first time, but watching it several times after, I discovered that not all films are funny on the second or third viewing, and sometimes that makes you despise them. For that reason, I decide only one viewing of "Midnight Madness" is necessary, especially since a lot of it is a mess and most of it making absolutely no sense.
Audiences will recognize Eugene from "Grease" and Dorfman from "Animal House" among the cast, but outside of Michael J. Fox as the younger brother of one of the team leaders, there are no names among the major players. However, in supporting roles, Irene Tedrow as the nasty landlady, John Fiedler as a tenant, Loretta Tupper as his mother, Paul Reubens as the arcade employee and Marvin Kaplan as the hotel clerk are familiar faces to older audiences, and it was fun to see Tupper get feisty when she recognized the big board in the control room running the all night game.
You have to forget about modern standards of sensitivity in watching this film. Stereotypes are abound of varying natures, but none of them done in mean ways. The two twin heavyset young women, laughing with a chirp, are adorable and fun loving, and the nerdy group is very resourceful. But there are no surprises in knowing who's going to win. I wouldn't add this to my list of favorite comedies (it's all over the place), but I did laugh a lot. Not enough to view it again. I'd like to keep my rating where it is.
Audiences will recognize Eugene from "Grease" and Dorfman from "Animal House" among the cast, but outside of Michael J. Fox as the younger brother of one of the team leaders, there are no names among the major players. However, in supporting roles, Irene Tedrow as the nasty landlady, John Fiedler as a tenant, Loretta Tupper as his mother, Paul Reubens as the arcade employee and Marvin Kaplan as the hotel clerk are familiar faces to older audiences, and it was fun to see Tupper get feisty when she recognized the big board in the control room running the all night game.
You have to forget about modern standards of sensitivity in watching this film. Stereotypes are abound of varying natures, but none of them done in mean ways. The two twin heavyset young women, laughing with a chirp, are adorable and fun loving, and the nerdy group is very resourceful. But there are no surprises in knowing who's going to win. I wouldn't add this to my list of favorite comedies (it's all over the place), but I did laugh a lot. Not enough to view it again. I'd like to keep my rating where it is.