As the title Silent Movie implies, this is a silent movie from Mel Brooks which is part spoof of twenties-era silent comedies and part the real thing. And, true to life, the story is about making a silent film in a modern age.

Although there are the unusual Mel Brooks gags, some of which work and some of which don't, the film's real attraction is its superb recreation of silent era gags and nuances. The cast is good, but Marty Feldman is outstanding -- his execution of even the simplest gestures is so convincing, he looks like he was one of the actual 1920s silent geniuses himself, cut out, colorized, and pasted into Silent Movie.

However, the silent film emulation/parody gag only goes so far, and the film peters out around its midpoint.