This is a must for Vincent Price fans. He is wonderfully loony here and gets to do some great physical comedy and emoting. I liked his final scene in particular. Colman has aged well and delivers his lines beautifully, and the movie's main idea - the "last scholar" fighting against cultural idiocracy - is clever and still relevant now, even if we have to suspend our disbelief about Beauregard's unemployment (why isn't he working in academia?). All in all, I really enjoyed the first half. After that, unfortunately, the "honey trap/love interest" was introduced, presumably because the initial idea was thought insufficient to fill a feature film, or because a love interest is mandatory for a comedy. It was so dumb and unbelievable that my mind wandered during the second half whenever Price wasn't on screen. The other big problem in my opinion is the casting of the unfortunately named "Happy Hogan". Since all four female characters described him as a "dreamboat" and/or "cute", you would expect a young fellow at least as good-looking as Rock Hudson. Instead, he was middle-aged and had the kind of face only a mother could love, plus the ugliest hat known to humanity. In a looks-obsessed industry, with so many young would-be actor/models, how could this casting decision happen? If you are out there, Beauregard, please send me the answer!
Review of Champagne for Caesar
