Today’s quick review: The Twelve Chairs. When his mother-in-law dies, Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody) learns that she left a fortune in jewels in one of the twelve dining room chairs she was forced to leave behind during the Soviet Revolution a decade before. Together with Ostap Bender (Frank Langella), a crafty opportunist who strongarms his way into the hunt, Vorobyaninov embarks on an arduous journey to find the missing chairs and the fortune they contain.
The Twelve Chairs is Mel Brooks’ movie adaptation of the classic Russian story of the same name. Despite nominally being a comedy, The Twelve Chairs has a dramatic plot and tone. The comedy is confined to the periphery: jokes slipped into the dialogue, roles filled with comedic actors, and the occasional madcap chase. At its core, the film is a tale of greed infused with a hefty dose of Russian fatalism.
The main duo are oddly sympathetic. Ron Moody plays Vorobyaninov, a Russian nobleman brought low by the Soviet Revolution. Frank Langella plays Ostap Bender, a persuasive swindler who persuades Vorobyaninov to cut him in. Bender provides the direction for the story, as Vorobyaninov lacks the cunning or level-headedness to track down the chairs on his own. Their sometime antagonist is Fyodor (Dom DeLuise), a greedy priest who heard about the jewels and wants them for himself.
Watch The Twelve Chairs if you are in the mood for a dour tale offset with wry humor and a steady stream of small jokes. The comedy takes enough of the edge off the drama to make The Twelve Chairs a decent watch but not enough to make it a light one. Skip it if you are looking for something unequivocally light, or if you are a fan of Mel Brooks’ more raucous comedies.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a decent story with an odd hybrid tone.