
I first discovered WHERE'S POPPA? (as I did with many many films) via Danny Peary and his Cult Movies books. Before reading those books, I was always a bit confused when I'd come across "cult movie" sections at video stores. Peary helped me understand what films had passionate supporters and maybe a little bit about why. WHERE'S POPPA? used to show up a lot in those video store cult sections and after seeing it, I was able to comprehend how it might have stood out from the pack as a bit different than many of the other films that came out around 1970. Case in point, the opening of the movie. We see George Segal getting out of bed, getting a shower and getting dressed. We've seen this kind of "morning routine" business many times before and since, but this movie throws in a twist. Once Segal is just about dressed, we see him rummaging through a box which appears to have furry hands and eventually he pulls out a gorilla mask. Cut to Segal, fully attired in the costume, sneaking down the hallway of his apartment and quietly opening a door. Inside he begins to go completely nutzoid, acting like a real ape and thrashing the room a bit. We quickly realize he's attempting to frighten the old woman (Ruth Gordon) whose room he's in and he ends his tantrum by jumping up and down on her bed. The old woman is his senile mother and his intentions are to scare her to death as to get her out of the picture and stop dealing with her. All that comes out a little later, but the point is, not a lot of big films from this period begin in quite this way. Its the kind of thing that immediately gets your attention and makes you want to see where on earth this outlandish tale could be headed. The closest thing I can think to compare it to would perhaps be some of Woody Allen's films from a few years after. Stuff like BANANAS maybe, especially when it borders on the surreal (both movies have goofy daydream sequences which are entertaining). There's even an odd reference to Cornel Wilde and THE NAKED PREY. WHERE'S POPPA Director Carl Reiner is no slouch in terms of comedy. This was basically his third feature film and his prior efforts were more bittersweet dramas then comedies. In fact, his prior film - THE COMIC - is much more tragic than funny. WHERE'S POPPA? is kind of the beginning for Reiner's truly classic comedies and he would go on to make THE JERK and DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID not too long after this.

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