This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and I've never talked to anyone else who's seen it. The casting is spot-on, with F. Murray Abraham especially effective as Jack Weston's Queen Mentor. The young Treat Williams is probably unrecognizable to his modern fans. The old pros -- Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, and Jerry Stiller -- are, of course, perfect. Rent it if you can find it, then sit back and enjoy a wild ride.
6-3-2012 I just watched The Ritz for the first time in many years, and it's still outstanding. It's so good, in fact, that I looked up the play on ibdb.com, and was delighted-but not surprised-to learn that Rita Moreno had been awarded a Tony for her performance. She is off-the-chart great in this film. I also learned from the Broadway data base that Jack Weston, F. Murray Abraham, Jerry Stiller, and Paul Price were also in the original Broadway cast. That goes a long way to explaining why this is such a good movie. The play had been closed for less than a year when the film was released, so it seems that Richard Lester simply assembled the most important original cast members and filmed the play. Well done to him!
6-3-2012 I just watched The Ritz for the first time in many years, and it's still outstanding. It's so good, in fact, that I looked up the play on ibdb.com, and was delighted-but not surprised-to learn that Rita Moreno had been awarded a Tony for her performance. She is off-the-chart great in this film. I also learned from the Broadway data base that Jack Weston, F. Murray Abraham, Jerry Stiller, and Paul Price were also in the original Broadway cast. That goes a long way to explaining why this is such a good movie. The play had been closed for less than a year when the film was released, so it seems that Richard Lester simply assembled the most important original cast members and filmed the play. Well done to him!