A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A mischievous Roman slave turns romance, deception, and theatrical chaos into a riotous quest for freedom.
Overview
A hilarious romp through ancient Rome where a lazy slave concocts a wild scheme for freedom.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- bawdy
- witty
- irreverent
- classic movie night
- musical comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a bawdy, energetic, well-performed musical farce whose songs, comic ensemble, and satirical view of Rome overcome occasional stylistic excess.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film treats classical Rome as a vehicle for 20th-century slang, comic timing, and social satire.
Pseudolus orchestrates an increasingly complicated bargain to win emancipation from slavery.
Richard Lester uses quick cutting, visual juxtaposition, broad physical business, and ensemble entrances to translate musical-theater nonsense into cinema.
The film’s jokes, romantic arrangements, slave-dealer setting, pratfalls, and flamboyant performances sustain a bawdy burlesque style.
Films like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and why
The Producers
fast-paced bawdy musical comedy with theatrical roots and broad ensemble performances
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
stylized comic anachronism, musical satire, and exuberant farce built around outsized performers
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
period setting used for irreverent parody, physical comedy, and romantic confusion
The Court Jester
classic musical farce driven by mistaken identities, romantic schemes, and comic performance energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Lester
- Release Date
- 1966-10-16
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (129)
Cast
- Zero Mostel
- Jack Gilford
- Phil Silvers
- Buster Keaton
- Michael Crawford
- Annette Andre
- Michael Hordern
- Leon Greene
- Roy Kinnear
- Alfie Bass
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum about?
- A mischievous Roman slave turns romance, deception, and theatrical chaos into a riotous quest for freedom.
- What is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
- What did critics think of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
- Critics broadly found the film a bawdy, energetic, well-performed musical farce whose songs, comic ensemble, and satirical view of Rome overcome occasional stylistic excess.
- Which films are like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
- Films with a similar feel include The Producers, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and The Court Jester.
- How long is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?
- In United States, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
