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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Music · Comedy · Romance · 1966

A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.

Movie details

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

“Something for Everyone!”

1966 Music · Comedy · Romance 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Richard Lester

Written by

Melvin Frank · Michael Pertwee · Burt Shevelove · Larry Gelbart

Zero Mostel

Zero Mostel

Pseudolus

Jack Gilford

Jack Gilford

Hysterium

Phil Silvers

Phil Silvers

Marcus Lycus

Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton

Erronius

Michael Crawford

Michael Crawford

Hero

Annette Andre

Annette Andre

Phillia

Michael Hordern

Michael Hordern

Senex

Court is in session

Put A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.