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Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, Kaye Ballard, F Murray Abraham ... see more see more... , Treat Williams , John Everson , Christopher J. Brown , Dave King , George Coulouris , John Ratzenberger , Chris Harris , Freddie Earle , Richard Holmes , Bart Allison , Ben Aris , Ronnie Brody , Peter Butterworth , Tony De Santis , Hal Galili , Leon Greene , Bessie Love , Samantha Weyson , Hugh Fraser , Paul B. Price

With The Ritz, Terrence McNally's hit Broadway play of the same name is cinematized by director Richard Lester. Jack Weston plays Gaetano Proclo, a minor mob flunky who's been targeted for elimination... read more read more... by his brother-in-law, Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller). Gaetano takes refuge in what he thinks is a Turkish bath. Actually, it's The Pits. That's the name, "The Pits" -- a gay bathhouse (this is the pre-AIDS era), where the exquisitely awful Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) entertains the homosexual patrons with her ear-splitting renditions of such show tunes as "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Hoping to save his neck by pretending to be gay, Gaetano effusively praises Googie. Assuming that he is a big-time Broadway producer, she plays up to him. Everything would be hunky-dory, except that the bathhouse is owned by the very mob that has put a contract on Gaetano. What follows is an old-fashioned door-slamming farce, except that there are no doors to slam. The supporting cast includes Kaye Ballard, Treat Williams, George Coulouris, F. Murray Abraham, Dave King, and (as one of the patrons) a pre-Cheers John Ratzenberger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

81% liked it

614 ratings

Critics

40% liked it

5 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Richard Lester

Release Date: January 1, 1976

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DVD Release Date: January 8, 2008

Stats: 72 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (72)

  • ajv2688
    January 3, 2011
    ajv2688
    A very funny comedy movie, with a great story and good actors. I really liked it.
  • jjnxn
    November 1, 2008
    jjnxn
    Very much a time capsule of a bygone era, everybody is enjoyably over the top but any time Rita Moreno shows up she blows everyone else off the screen in a performance of such reckless, hilarious abandon its a joy to behold.
  • captainmorgan4
    February 11, 2008
    captainmorgan4
    With a cast that includes Jerry Still and Kay Ballard, you can't go wrong and very little does in this hilarious movie. To the delight of audiences, the movie quickly escalates into a tug-of-war between the fabulous Rita Moreno and a young, hunky Treat Williams to see who can st... read moreeal the show. A lean F. Murray Abraham is thrown into the mix and provides some of the most hilarious lines. For a 70's movie, it does depict gays and gay bathhouses in a very tongue in cheek manner that has a very wide appeal and gives everybody a great laugh!
  • onebravecougar
    December 15, 2007
    onebravecougar
    this movie is a long time favorite of mine, my nephew brought it over one weekend when he was about 10 its so funny! it was an HBO movie and I found a vhs of it on ebay! ALL STAR CAST b4 they were stars!
  • blueowlboy
    July 26, 2007
    blueowlboy
    Lots of fun and lots of stars (Treat Williams, F Murray Abraham, Rita Moreno, Kaye Ballard) in a farce of modest proportions... it could almost be Bette Midler's early career meets the Mob, but somewhere along the line, the director loses the thread. Thank goodness the actors ne... read morever do.
  • sleepykiss
    July 23, 2007
    sleepykiss
    Hilarious!!! I had forgotten all about this flick. Its an oldie, but its sooooo very funny! Kinda reminds me of a MBrooks comedy.

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Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke
February 3, 2005
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

OK version of the play enlivened by occasional flashes of Lester creativity.

Michael A. Smith
January 1, 2005
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review

Funny version of the Broadway show. Look for an early Treat Williams appearance.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Richard Eder
May 9, 2005
Richard Eder, New York Times

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Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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Emanuel Levy
June 16, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Eric Lurio
December 21, 2004
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette

No review available.

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

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Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Ritz Trivia

  • In Young Frankenstein, what song does Gene Wilder sing with the monster(Peter Boyle)?  Answer »
  • What song does dr. frankenstein and the monster sing in " Young Frankenstein"?  Answer »
  • Who said: "I'd like to dip you in Cheez Wiz and spread you all over a Ritz cracker, if I'm not being too subtle"?  Answer »
  • In "Young Frankenstien", what is the song that Frankenstien and 'the monster' perform on stage?  Answer »
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