Region:
Video: Enhanced Widescreen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
DVD Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33:1), Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
  Dolby Digital Stereo
Language: English, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Weight factor: 1 item(s)

Plot Synopsis

Comic actor Gene Wilder made his debut as a writer and director in this period comedy in which he plays Sigerson Holmes, the older bother of famous detective Sherlock Holmes. For years, Sigerson has been living in his little brother's shadow, and he is convinced that he must constantly prove his superiority to his brother in all things at all times. Of course, he often fails, but one can't argue with his determination. In this story, Sherlock (Douglas Wilmer) and his faithful assistant, Watson (Thorley Walters), are called away from England on an assignment, and Sherlock asks Sigerson if he wouldn't mind looking into a case for him. With typically misguided enthusiasm, Sigerson is hot on the trail of a cache of missing government documents, whose theft may be the dirty work of the wicked Moriarty (Leo McKern). Sigerson is assisted in his investigation by Olville Sacker (Marty Feldman), a bumbling Scotland Yard detective who claims to have photographic hearing, and the mysterious and seductive Jenny Hill (Madeline Kahn). Gene Wilder rose to fame in the offbeat comedies of director Mel Brooks, so it was fitting that, for his first film as a director, Wilder cast Brooks in a cameo role (he's heard but not seen after discovering that the door he chose had the tiger, not the lady). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Editorial Reviews:

With such a very promising idea and such an exceptionally talented comic cast, it's a shame that The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother doesn't turn out to be a much better film. This is especially true due to the fact that there are a couple of moments when Brother is screamingly funny, and another half dozen when it at least approaches the brink of being screamingly funny. There are also a good number of chuckles, one or two guffaws, and a handful of giggles. Unfortunately, there is also more than a fair share of groaners, as well as unfortunate stretches where every joke just falls flat. This would matter a little less if the story that surrounds these jokes and would-be jokes were stronger, or at least more cohesive. That is definitely not the case, as Brother has a screenplay that seems to have been created with "slapdash" in mind. Unlike better Mel Brooks efforts, which it very clearly resembles, Brother doesn't know how to lay a strong, solid foundation on which to base its hopefully wild excursions into humor. Writer Gene Wilder also suffers from the work of director Gene Wilder, who doesn't know how to properly shape the scenes and how to save them in the editing room. As a result, scenes meander, lose their focus or go on too long, dissipating their comic impact. Fortunately, writer/director Gene Wilder is saved by actor Gene Wilder and by a sterling cast that does wring every possible ounce of humor out of the script. Madeline Kahn is in peerless form, Marty Feldman and Wilder demonstrate the same chemistry they shared in Young Frankenstein, and Leo McKern and Dom DeLuise provide robust support. It's a shame The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother isn't more successful, but it's worth watching for its cast (at all times) and for those moments when things really do come together and create the kind of inspired zaniness that is all too rare. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide