Dir: Garry Marshall, 1982
5/10
Jumping on the back of the success from Airplane!, this first feature from Garry Marshall (brother of director Penny), is one of the first spoofs or parodies in a long line that followed.
Young Doctors In Love sends up medical soap operas, such as General Hospital and St. Elsewhere.
Starring a host of pre-famous faces, there is a doctor who is scared of blood, another that is a midget, tap-dancing nurses, and an alcoholic doctor.
As well Michael McKean and Sean Young before they hit the big time, look closely and you’ll see a blink-and-miss appearance of Demi Moore.
Alongside the newcomers, are well-established stars of the screen, with Patrick Macnee, Dabney Coleman and Harry Dean Stanton joining in the fun.
But, fun, might be a bit of an overstatement.
Very few people can write spoofs as well as Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers, so it’s no surprise, really, that this film, more often than not, falls flat.
There are several very funny moments (a scene with the midget doctor and a telephone, is hysterical), but the rest is only mildly amusing.
If this had been a ZAZ film, it would have had a much better reception and a more successful result.
Although silly, the humour is in a different vein to that of Airplane! or the short-lived TV series, Police Squad.
Centering on the zany and surreal, the ZAZ team paved the way for obscure comedy. Young Doctors In Love attempts that style, but without the absurdity.
To be fair, trying to recreate what ZAZ had is no easy task, if not impossible.
One or two laughs are to be had but, there isn’t much of a lifeline.
Diagnosis: disappointing.
