# The Super Mario Brothers Movie (1993) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696 "2007-04-26T04:40:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/1 "2007-04-26T04:40:22Z")
So way back when, there was a Super Mario Brothers movie. I never saw it, and I heard it was awful, and Rotten Tomatoes gives it 6%. My question is, does the movie look relevantly different in retrospect? For example, is it “so bad it’s good?” Or perhaps, does it do something daring that contemporaries did not appreciate but I might now appreciate? Or anything ilke that? I’m looking for an excuse to rent it for some reason. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/2 "2007-04-26T04:54:08Z")
I liked it, but I was also nine years old when it came out, which may have clouded my judgment somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/3 "2007-04-26T04:55:14Z")
Well, it was no Double Dragon. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/4 "2007-04-26T04:55:52Z")
I too was of an impressionable age when I saw it. The only reason it’s lingered in my consciousness is that it introduced my sister and I to the term “goomba.” An excellent all purpose derisive. Terrible movie. Very bad. Don’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/5 "2007-04-26T08:07:04Z")
I was 10 when I watched it. It was entertaining, but extremely horrible in retrospect. I guess my comment is the same as most above me T\_T ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/6 "2007-04-26T08:58:44Z")
I enjoyed and enjoy it. In a sense, it’s almost like a surrealistic art film based on Super Mario. I think that quite a few people would enjoy it if it wasn’t for the whole “Super Mario” thing. Instead most people won’t watch it, and most who do watch it won’t get what they’re looking for. I’d throw it in with Hudson Hawk or Brazil in terms of style. (Probably closer to Hudson Hawk given as I don’t like Brazil but do like Mario and HH.) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/7 "2007-04-26T09:04:29Z")
And here’s some more doog films for you: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335151&highlight=doog](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335151&highlight=doog) ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/8 "2007-04-26T09:09:31Z")
The best thing about that movie is introducing the full names “Mario Mario” and “Luigi Mario” (“Ok, how many Marios are there between the two of you?” “Three”). ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/9 "2007-04-26T18:24:27Z")
Coincidentially, I resaw the film a couple days ago, and my thoughts are still the same: it’s not the best film, but it’s amusing and entertaining in spots. It plays around with the Mario mythology a lot, but it’s still kind of recognizable as a film about Mario. So here’s my list of Things I Liked About _Super Mario Bros._: -Bob Hoskins as Mario. Although Nintendo wanted Danny DeVito, Hoskins is a good second choice: he looks like Mario, and he has a thick Brooklyn accent. (Much like “Captain” Lou Albano on the animated series, Hoskins goes for a Brooklyn accent, rather than the stereotypical Italian accent Charles Martinet would use for the video games, which would probably become annoying if it were used for sentences longer than “Woo-hoo!” or “It’s a-me, Mario!”) John Leguizamo as Luigi is an unusual fit, but it’s explained in the film that according to this storyline, Mario and Luigi are not blood brothers- they’re “brothers” in the sense that they are good friends. In this case, it’s believable. Mario is the voice of reason and Luigi is the goofball, which I guess makes sense, as it gives them sort of an Abbott-and-Costello relationship to play off of. Dennis Hopper is also good in his role as Koopa. -Koopahattan. Koopa rules over an alternate Manhattan where men evolved from dinosaurs instead of apes, and it’s all slums and nightclubs. Koopa lives inside the Twin Towers- there’s one scene where his universe merges with ours and the Koopa Building replaces the World Trade Center. Although the Koopahattan scenes were actually filmed in North Carolina, they’re still pretty to look at and filled with inside jokes (all of the clubs are named after villains from the video games.) -Iggy and Spike, Koopa’s henchmen. Although at first bumbling buffoons, they are soon evolved by Koopa into super geniuses, which makes them even funnier. -Yoshi. As cute as a dinosaur ever seen on the screen. -The Goombas dancing and humming along to _Somewhere My Love_. Don’t ask. -The Bob-Omb. This is the funniest thing in the film. All of the people are frightened by this cute little bomb which just keeps walking and walking and walking. And in one of the strangest bits of product placement ever, one shot from underneath shows that it’s wearing Reeboks. Overall, I give it a 2.5. Good for a lark, entertaining in spots- but rather silly and hard to understand in some points. Not that silly is a bad thing, mind you. And be sure to stay during the credits for a quick bait-and-switch gag. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/10 "2007-04-26T19:45:41Z")
I can’t say it’s a good movie, but for what it is, it has a really strong cast. That’s not to say they’re cast well, but… [QUOTE=mobo85] -Bob Hoskins as Mario. Although Nintendo wanted Danny DeVito, Hoskins is a good second choice: he looks like Mario, and he has a thick Brooklyn accent. [/QUOTE] Hoskins does a very good Brooklyn accent. All these years after _Roger Rabbit_, I’m surprised to hear an English accent coming out of him. By the way, the Wikipedia entry on this movie is astonishingly long. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/11 "2007-04-26T20:43:33Z")
I’ve never seen it, but how often do I get a chance to tell people that a friend of mine played a waiter in Super Mario Brothers. I have no idea how visible he is, but he’s really tall, and I’m pretty sure he had long hair at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/12 "2007-04-26T20:57:15Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] John Leguizamo as Luigi is an unusual fit, but it’s explained in the film that according to this storyline, Mario and Luigi are not blood brothers- they’re “brothers” in the sense that they are good friends. In this case, it’s believable. [/QUOTE] Really? I don’t remember this. Why do they have the same last name then? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/13 "2007-04-26T21:05:30Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Really? I don’t remember this. Why do they have the same last name then? [/QUOTE] I think Luigi is Mario’s adopted son. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/14 "2007-04-26T21:07:51Z")
I believe it’s explained in the film that Luigi was orphaned as a child and Mario raised him as a brother. Luigi tells Daisy something to the effect of “Mario’s like a father to me. A father, a brother, an uncle- everything!” In the video games, of course, Mario and Luigi are brothers by blood. (And I believe Nintendo has stated in the past that yes, since they are the Mario Brothers, Mario _is_ their last name.) ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/15 "2007-04-26T21:15:13Z")
Ah, alright. Incidentally, I’ve long wondered where I could find some official confirmation of their last name outside of the movie; do you know where I could? ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/16 "2007-04-26T21:15:46Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] In a sense, it’s almost like a surrealistic art film based on Super Mario. I think that quite a few people would enjoy it if it wasn’t for the whole “Super Mario” thing. Instead most people won’t watch it, and most who do watch it won’t get what they’re looking for. [/QUOTE] I agree with this. I kind of group it with _Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure_ in that regard (though it’s not as good as _Pee-Wee_). It’s got a slightly twisted, surreal kind of sensibility that I’m sure a lot of Mario fans didn’t know what to make of. I liked the way it incorporated recognizable elements like Bob-Ombs and Goombahs but put a new spin on everything. Kind of a “reboot” of the Mario series mythology. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/17 "2007-04-26T21:28:05Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Incidentally, I’ve long wondered where I could find some official confirmation of their last name outside of the movie; do you know where I could? [/QUOTE] I remember an old letter written to _Nintendo Power_, Nintendo’s official publication, which asked if the fact that Mario and Luigi are “the Mario Brothers” means that their last name is Mario. Nintendo’s response was yes it is. However, in [this 1988 piece](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGFRi_ueq-M) from _Inside Edition_, Bill White, the head of Marketing at Nintendo at the time, says that the brothers have no last name- their full names are Mario and Luigi. [This fansite](http://www.smbhq.com/who.htm) claims that Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has himself said that “Mario” actually is their last name, although I can’t find a backup for this statement. So I guess Nintendo has no official response on the matter (unlike, say, Disney, who tells us on their website that the answer to the eternal question “Why does Donald Duck wrap a towel around his waist when he doesn’t wear pants?” is “So he doesn’t get the floor wet”). ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-super-mario-brothers-movie-1993/401696/18 "2007-04-27T02:38:10Z")
[QUOTE=Furious\_Marmot] I’ve never seen it, but how often do I get a chance to tell people that a friend of mine played a waiter in Super Mario Brothers. I have no idea how visible he is, but he’s really tall, and I’m pretty sure he had long hair at the time. [/QUOTE] No I’m sorry, there isn’t time, we’re just going straight over to Luton. I have a VHS of this somewhere, bought at the behest of the Elder Ottlet (who was seven when it came out), and **mobo85** pretty much nailed it. [QUOTE=mobo85] Good for a lark, entertaining in spots- but rather silly and hard to understand in some points. Not that silly is a bad thing, mind you. [/QUOTE] If you can find it to rent and are in a mood to declutch your cerebral cortex, I can certainly think of worse ways to blow a couple hours. Oh, and my favorite line (said of the goombas): > [@](#): > > Loyal! Strong! (pause) Stooooopid.