Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a comedy from Mel Brooks that treats the legend of Robin Hood as material for jokes rather than a story to be taken seriously. Brooks directs, writes, and stars in the film, and he built it as a pointed mockery of previous Robin Hood films, particularly Prince of Thieves and the 1938 Errol Flynn adaptation The Adventures of Robin Hood.
The film follows Robin of Loxley, played by Cary Elwes, returning home from the Crusades to find that his king, Richard, is away and that his brother, Prince John, now sits on the throne of England. John has allied himself with the Sheriff of Rottingham, played by Roger Rees, and Robin assembles a band of patriots to do battle with the usurper and the sheriff.
Trailer, via FT Depot.
The Tale of Robin
Robin is captured during the Crusades and imprisoned in Jerusalem. He escapes with the help of his cellmate, Asneeze, played by Isaac Hayes, and frees the other prisoners. Upon returning to England, he finds that Ahchoo, Asneeze’s son, played by Dave Chappelle, has stayed behind, and that John has assumed control while Richard fights in the Crusades.
Names Changed for the Joke
The film changes character names for humor. Nottingham becomes Rottingham, and the Merry Man’s name is a reference to the character from Gone with the Wind. Brooks, who is Jewish, changed his cameo character from Friar Tuck to Rabbi Tuckman.
The Sheriff’s Plan
The Sheriff of Rottingham hires the mafioso Don Giovanni to assassinate Robin. They plan to hold an archery tournament to draw him out, and the Sheriff is willing to have Robin killed to keep him from interfering.
Tournament and Its Twist
At the archery tournament, a disguised Robin makes it to the final round but loses when his arrow is split in two by his opponent. Confused that he lost, Robin reviews the movie’s script to discover that he gets another shot. His second shot is the winning one, and he defeats the killer who tried to take his life.
The Cast and the Cameos
The film features Brooks in a minor role, which was the first time since Young Frankenstein that he appeared in one of his own films without receiving top billing or playing the lead role. It also features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten, who had been a cast member on When Things Were Rotten, in minor roles, as well as Rudy De Luca in a cameo as a party guest.
The Verdict on the Joke
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a comedy that leans on parody and broad jokes rather than character or plot. The film’s humor depends heavily on references to other Robin Hood films, and it changes character names for comic effect. The story itself is thin, and the film never attempts to build a serious relationship between Robin and Maid Marian, played by Amy Yasbeck, or to make the Merry Men feel like a proper band of brothers.
“The legend had it coming…”
That line, used as the film’s tagline, sums up its approach. The film is not trying to remake the legend in a fresh way, but rather to point out how silly the story feels when told straight. The jokes land sometimes and miss sometimes, and the film’s length, at 104 minutes, strains its welcome in places.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a comedy that works best as a footnote, a film that makes its jokes and moves on without asking the audience to care about the characters it mocks. It has its bright spots, but it never builds enough momentum to carry its own weight.
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