The Twelve Chairs (1970)

92% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(3,312 ratings)

One of several film versions of the 1928 Russian novel The Twelve Chairs (one of the better-known adaptations was the 1945 Fred Allen vehicle It's in the Bag), Mel Brooks' movie is set in the years following the Bolshevik revolution. Onetime aristocrat Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody), now reduced to a… More One of several film versions of the 1928 Russian novel The Twelve Chairs (one of the better-known adaptations was the 1945 Fred Allen vehicle It's in the Bag), Mel Brooks' movie is set in the years following the Bolshevik revolution. Onetime aristocrat Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody), now reduced to a humdrum clerical job, discovers that his family's fortune still exists. To keep their riches from falling into the hands of the revolutionaries, Vorobyaninov's family hid the loot in one of twelve chairs. Taking a crafty beggar (Frank Langella) into his confidence, Vorobyaninov returns to the ruins of his ancestral mansion to reclaim his fortune. Also chasing after the twelve chairs is an Orthodox priest (Dom DeLuise), who tells himself that he only wants the money to replenish his church. Alas, the chairs have been scattered to the four winds, sparking a film-length race to retrieve the furniture and claim the gold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Mel Brooks
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 28, 1970 Wide
On DVD: Apr 4, 2006

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The premise was so good that I expected the frantic pic to be funnier and not so overwrought.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Probably the closest Brooks ever came to making a 'normal' film.
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
A hit or miss spoof of Communism saved by zany performances by Brooks and DeLuise.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Hope for the best, expect the worst - and get something in between. Middling Brooks, with flashes of brilliance.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Dull
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Goofy, funny, smoothly enjoyable.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Written, directed, and performed by Brooks and only his second film, it's a delight from beginning to end. Yet The Twelve Chairs is the one that got away.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

An art house late night weekend favorite back in the day (like Rocky Horror), a dying woman tells of a hidden treasure --- setting off a crazy cross-country race for the loot played for yucks. Sound familiar? Like Its A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (made 7 years prior)? Well it IS… More
An art house late night weekend favorite back in the day (like Rocky Horror), a dying woman tells of a hidden treasure --- setting off a crazy cross-country race for the loot played for yucks. Sound familiar? Like Its A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (made 7 years prior)? Well it IS different. This chase is through post revolutionary Russia! Expect jokes about how well communism was not working, comrade. An early effort by Brooks that has some smiles in it. Hope for the best ... ( expect the worst ).
Aaron N

Ippolit Vorobyaninov: You're not worth spitting on! Father Fyodor: Oh yeah? Well, you are! Mel Brooks' second film, which involves three men all trying to get rich quick in communist Russia. A different sort of film from Brooks, which may not be as much a laugh riot as… More
Ippolit Vorobyaninov: You're not worth spitting on! Father Fyodor: Oh yeah? Well, you are! Mel Brooks' second film, which involves three men all trying to get rich quick in communist Russia. A different sort of film from Brooks, which may not be as much a laugh riot as some of his others, but has a fun story and is well acted throughout. Ron Moody is Vorobyaninov, an ex-nobleman trying to find the family jewels that his dying mother told him was hidden in one of their old fancy chairs. A very young Frank Langella enters the scene as an attractive drifter, who becomes a part of the plot to find the jewels as well, forming a sort of team with Vorobyaninov. Also entering the scene is Dom DeLuise as Father Fyodor, who is less than faithful to the lord when he too learns of the jewels to be found. The story is very simple, but effective. It's a fun comic adventure, putting all three characters at odds with each other and leading to a lot of funny scenes. Certainly different types of humor at play, with Moody playing it fairly dry, Langella serving mainly as the straight (and very tall) man, and DeLuise offering up plenty of physical comedy. Brooks manages to pop up in a small role as well, playing Moody's former servant, and he's of course a lot of fun. He also manages to bring a lot of his style humor to the film via many visual gags, which mostly poke fun at the setting of communist Russia. Not much more to say beyond the fact that the film is short and sweet and I laughed. Nikolai Sestrin: I hate people I don't like.
Daniel D

I'm a big Mel Brooks fan and have loved all his movies but this one. I understand why the critics loved it but for audience it was missing the entertainment value, there was nothing there really to keep you intuned.