Under the Rainbow (1981) March 17th, 2024

Warner Brothers home video releases are perhaps the worst of all major studios. Their countless classics languish with exclusively DVD releases in despicable standard definition, or worse in vaults without any hope of an HD release like some sort of home-video-Animaniacs… except THEIR show has a Blu-Ray! Even when Warner Brothers releases a forgotten film on DVD you shouldn’t expect any special features beyond the occasional trailer. Generally speaking that lack of supplemental content would break my heart but in the case of Under the Rainbow, it’s a blessing.

I wanted Under the Rainbow to be a hilarious riff on the behind the scenes antics surrounding The Wizard of Oz‘s historic production, from the munchkin actor’s perspective. Movies like Ed Wood and Dolemite is My Name prove this formula can work, but Under the Rainbow doesn’t. Cartoonishly violent and disruptive little people swarm a Hollywood hotel while Chevy Chase’s familiar bumblings dominate his portrayal of a US special agent charged with guarding a dignitary from persistent assassination attempts. This rainbow’s silver lining is Carrie Fisher who spends just enough time in her underwear to warrant an HD release. In a hackneyed homage to the source material, Under the Rainbow ends with a reveal that everything was the dream of a dwarf with head trauma, complete with a “You were there, and you were there!” moment.

Under the Rainbow is a tragic example of comedy’s short shelf life. I can’t say it wasn’t funny in its day; but I found nothing in Under the Rainbow funny, clever, or charming. It’s a poorly constructed boring novelty that dropped the ball on a promising premise.