Frank Tashlin's comedies exist in a candy-coated, Technicolor universe where the laws of physics, reality, and sanity can be stretched and twisted like taffy. What matters is the Joke. And in order for the Joke to work, Tashlin will suffer no prop, sight gag, or bizarre set-up. In Hollywood or Bust, the last film to feature the comedy duo of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, Tashlin combines their frantic antics with loving tributes to the American movie machine. The basic set-up is simple enough: a strange series of circumstances see Martin and Lewis on a cross-country road-trip to Hollywood accompanied by a giant Great Dane named Mr. Bascomb and later on by a dancer named Terry. Lewis wants to go to Hollywood to meet his dream gal Anita Ekberg. Martin, on the other hand, couldn't care less about Hollywood. He just wants the car to use as collateral to pay off a loan to a blood-thirsty bookie. Of course, to do so he has to get rid of Lewis, Terry, and Mr. Bascomb. And oh, what shenanigans! It's said that Lewis and Martin didn't speak to each other off camera during the entire shoot. But watching the film you wouldn't know that. The on-screen chemistry between them is as strong and irresistible as ever.
8/10
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