Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
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People
Directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio explore the life and legacy of Mel Brooks, one of the most enduring comedic voices of our time.
Directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio explore the life and legacy of Mel Brooks, one of the most enduring comedic voices of our time.
Mel Brooks in younger days with his wife Anne Bancroft. Their marriage lasted over 40 years.Credit...Mel Brooks/HBO.But there’s also a thread of sorrow that runs through the three-and-a-half-hour series, and by the time you finish, those laughs may be mixed with tears. Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, “The 99 Year Old Man!,” premiering Thursday night on HBO, is an exhaustive look at Brooks’s life and art. As such, it’s easy to find yourself giggling uncontrollably over clips from “The Producers” (1967) or “Blazing Saddles” (1974).
‘Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!’ Review: Judd Apatow’s Sweet HBO Documentary Aims To Please. Read more.Their seemingly impromptu duets on live TV are about as sweet as anything in the doc, and there’s plenty of warmth to curl up with. “That’s the hard part about living that long,” Samantha Brooks, Mel’s granddaughter says. “He’s lost so many friends.” To that end, two of Apatow’s interview subjects died in the time between recording and release, including David Lynch, who shares a heartfelt account of Brooks hiring him for “The Elephant Man.”
