From the Zucker Brothers, the brilliant brains behind the Airplane! and Naked Gun films, comes an outrageous laughfest featuring the zaniest screen screwballs since the Brothers Marx—the Brain Donors! High society meets high hilarity when rich widow Lillian Oglethorpe (Nancy Marchand, TV’s The Sopranos) hires fast-talking, ambulance-chasing lawyer Roland T. Flakfizer (John Turturro, Barton Fink) as her legal advisor. His first assignment: to fulfill Mr. Oglethorpe’s dream of founding a ballet company. Flakfizer recruits two unable assistants: Jacques (Bob Nelson, Kindergarten Cop), a Harpo-like jack-of-all-trades and master of none; and Rocco Melonchek (Mel Smith, The Princess Bride), a cab driver moonlighting as a pool cleaner, liposuctioner and toupee salesman. What ensues is an off-the-wall, fall-down-funny assault on culture and good taste, as the Brain Donors make merry while driving everyone else mental! Deliriously directed by Dennis Dugan (Problem Child, Happy Gilmore).

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Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Brain Donors with a major upgrade in the form of a new 1080p master transfer in 1.85:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the Original 35mm Camera Negative that looks fantastic. The transfer provides lovely, natural film grain free of any compression artifacts or other such nuisances. The grain always resolves consistently without becoming noisy or clumpy. The film features some lush colors within the production design and costumes that shine off the screen with great vibrancy.

The film is surprisingly clear with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt observed here. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up firm black levels that stay strong even in the shadows. Highlights are likewise contained to avoid any blooming. There is an unbelievable uptick in fine detail that should please longtime fans. Unusual details in the background make an impression more than ever before, often revealing new moments of amusement you previously would have overlooked. Kino Classics has treated this with the utmost respect.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a top-tier DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film increasingly well. Dialogue and background noises are balanced in perfect harmony with all competing elements so that nothing gets drowned in sound. This track shows no egregious age-related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. All of the sound effects and music appear to be in line with the intent of the creative team. The jaunty score from Ira Newborn delivers an experience that is both vibrant and clear. This disc maintains a peerless sense of fidelity that aids the tone of the overall narrative. This is another winner from Kino Classics. There are also optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: There are two commentary tracks provided by both the director and a film historian in which you gain both a personal and historical perspective. During these tracks, they discuss the origins of this film, the cinematic landscape of the time, the impressive ensemble, the films that inspired this outing, how certain shots were captured, why the studio abandoned the film before its release, and more. If you can only choose one, the director’s commentary is much more packed with information.

- Audio Commentary #1: Director Dennis Dugan, Moderated by Film Critic and Author Lee Gambin

- Audio Commentary #2: Film Journalist Staci Layne-Wilson

Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided for Brain Donors. There are also trailers provided for Kindergarten Cop, Career Opportunities, Half Baked, Double Trouble (1992), For Love or Money, CB4, and Barton Fink.

Final Thoughts

Brain Donors is a pretty decent approximation of a classic Marx Brothers movie. There is something special about those Golden Age comedies that cannot be replicated, but there are plenty of gags and lines that keep you laughing and honor the legacy of what came before. This style of comedy is an acquired taste, but if something on the silly side of the spectrum appeals to you, this one should be a winner. We especially love what John Turturro is doing in this one, and we continue to be impressed by his range and mastery across genres. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and some good supplemental commentary tracks. If you are a fan of the film, this release does not disappoint. Recommended

Brain Donors is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.