Silent Movie 1976

Mel Funn, once a celebrated Hollywood director, finds himself grappling with personal demons and a troubling drinking problem. Despite his misfortunes, he’s determined to make a comeback by creating the first silent film in four decades, alongside his quirky pals, Marty Eggs and Dom Bell. When Funn pitches this ambitious idea to the chief of Big Picture Studios, the initial response is one of skepticism. However, Funn makes a compelling case: if he can attract Hollywood’s biggest stars to join the film, it could rescue the studio from a hostile takeover by the New York conglomerate Engulf & Devour.

Determined, Funn, Eggs, and Bell set off to enlist A-list talent. Their escapades lead them to a surprising encounter with Burt Reynolds in the shower, which is just the start of their wacky recruitment process. They don clever disguises to sneak into his mansion and also manage to bring in James Caan while he’s filming on location—after a hilarious mess in a shaky dressing room. Their search takes them to the studio commissary, where they find Liza Minnelli, who eagerly signs on, and later attempt to charm Anne Bancroft by posing as flamboyant Flamenco dancers.

In a touching moment, while visiting the ailing studio chief in the hospital, Funn reaches out to mime artist Marcel Marceau, who humorously responds in French with a definitive “Non!” Prompted for a translation, Funn confesses to his companions, “I don’t know. I don’t speak French!” Their quest for talent continues when they unexpectedly encounter Paul Newman on the hospital grounds, resulting in a zany wheelchair chase that ends in success.

Their journey is filled with comedic mishaps—like the confusion between a seeing-eye dog and its doppelgänger, multiple (mostly unsuccessful) attempts by Eggs to flirt with women, and a Coca-Cola vending machine that hilariously launches cans like grenades.

As word of the production reaches Engulf & Devour, they become desperate to sabotage the film. They dispatch the stunning nightclub performer Vilma Kaplan to entice Funn, who initially falls for her charm. However, upon discovering her true motives, he slips back into drinking, drowning his sorrows in a massive bottle of liquor alongside other “winos.” Yet, Kaplan develops real feelings for Funn and defies her employers, helping Eggs and Bell locate him to get him back on track.

The film reaches completion, but in a twist, it is snatched away by Engulf & Devour just before the premiere. With the audience eagerly awaiting, Kaplan takes to the stage to perform her nightclub act as a diversion. Meanwhile, Funn, Eggs, and Bell successfully orchestrate a daring heist to reclaim the film. They face down the thuggish executives from Engulf & Devour, implementing their earlier experience with the Coke machine to launch an unexpected counterattack using exploding cans.

With a lack of a separate spool to rewind the film, Eggs cleverly wraps it around his own body, and during a nail-biting rush back to the projection booth, the film finally gets shown. The audience erupts in applause, ecstatic at the unexpected triumph. Ultimately, the studio is saved, and the team—Funn, Eggs, Bell, Kaplan, and the studio chief—celebrate their victory, with an on-screen caption humorously marking the film as a “true story.”