Sherlock Holmes' jealous and insecure younger brother Sigerson must
thwart the forces of evil and save England by solving an important case. COMEDY
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The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)Written and Directed by Gene Wilder
Starring Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise, Leo McKern, Roy Kinnear, Douglas Wilmer Based on characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle |
Any fans of Sherlock Holmes, regardless of iteration, would adore this goofy parody of Doyle's characters. Written by, directed by, and starring Gene Wilder, this film has all the style and tone of a Mel Brooks film, but is infinitely weirder. You've got Holmes' insecure younger brother Sigerson (Wilder), a pathological liar with a potent sex drive, and Professor Moriarty (McKern) has Tourette's. You could never make this film today and somehow secure a PG rating, but I'm glad it does exist because it is damn funny. Sigerson is always so high strung, and Feldman is a great counterpoint to Wilder's energy, just like in Young Frankenstein.
When Sherlock is threatened by murderers after an important document is stolen from a lord, he goes into hiding and recruits his younger brother Sigerson to take on some of his less important cases. But Sigerson stumbles onto Moriarty's plot and becomes the only one who can stop him, along with his assistant Orville Sacker (Feldman) and the voluptuous Jenny Hill (Kahn). The chemistry between Wilder and Kahn has always been great, but it might be at its best here. This is a film that's surprisingly difficult to find. You can't stream it anywhere, but you can purchase a physical copy online. I recommend doing so, because it's worth it. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother has so many ridiculous lines ("Why don't we all drink some very sexy wine?") and memorable characters, featuring a hilarious bit from Dom DeLuise. Sure, it's pretty stupid at times, but it maintains a style of humor I've really come to enjoy. |