Given the fact that the Marx brothers, whose movies are a combination of anarchy, sight gags, and puns ("One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know"), one would think a modern movie in that style would be as welcome as root canal surgery. But Dugan and writer Pat Proft (best known for collaborating on the NAKED GUN movies) are such obvious fans that the movie zips along. And while the Marx brothers are the clear inspiration, they do appropriate tweaking here and there.
John Turturro is clearly the Groucho figure as Roland T. Flakfizer, an ambulance-chasing lawyer (literally) who shares Groucho's fast-talking wit that combines intelligence, puns, and double entendres ("Someday, you'll have my children. In fact, they're in the car if you want them"). British comedian Mel Smith gets the Chico role as Rocco, a fast-talking cabbie, though he uses his own cockney accent instead of Chico's Italian one, and unlike Chico, doesn't play piano. And Bob Nelson is Jacques, a dim-witted caretaker who's modeled on Harpo (and shares Harpo's penchant for physical comedy), though unlike Harpo, he talks. In a plot similar to A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, they're all involved in helping run a ballet company run by the Margaret Dumont figure (played by Nancy Marchand). There's also comic villains (George de la Pena as a snooty dancer, John Savident as a greedy lawyer) and comic heroes (Spike Alexander and Julia Donald as the lovers), but no one ever watched the Marx Brothers movies for the plot anyway.
BRAIN DONORS admittedly isn't flawless. The one setpiece of the film - when the three sabotage the ballet - is funny, but is too reminiscent of the climax from A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. And while Smith is a funny presence, he doesn't really have much to do. Still, there are enough jokes, both verbal ("Let's step outside and settle this like men!" "But we are outside." "Then let's step inside and settle this like women") and visual (watch how Nelson gets going in the morning) to make this work. And Turturro and Nelson are clearly having fun. Turturro wouldn't have been my first choice for a fast-talking Groucho figure, but he in particular makes it work. BRAIN DONORS won't make you forget the Marx brothers, but it's fun to watch all the same.
