O2D You would think a movie with this many hilarious actors would be side splittingly funny. You would be wrong. While it's not a bad movie, you would probably not realize that it's a comedy if someone else hadn't told you. It's no surprise that someone who is a huge fan of Cheech & Chong and Nigel Planer has never heard of this until today. If you like those guys or Monty Python you will enjoy this movie. If you want some hard laughs, look elsewhere.

Charles McGrew This movie could have been great, and it certainly shows flashes of brilliance. But they are flashes only (and generally in the use of language -- probably written by Peter Cook), and are separated by tiresome pirate-based skits that (kind of) hang together. My rating of 6 is for the flashes, and not the tiresome-ness.Cheech Marin and Peter Boyle dig into their parts and play with gusto, but everybody else seems to be sort of standing around a lot and saying things to get us to the next scene of people standing around. James Mason plays Charles Laughton gamely, but Marty Feldman is mostly wasted. John Cleese seems to be acting in an entirely different movie all together. The best line (by Spike Milligan) is spoken by a character not even given a name. A shame, really.

pmdawn I'm a big fan of Monty Python, and as soon as I heard about this little known movie I wanted to check it out. It turns out that it was pretty entertaining! Although it's not nearly on the same level of genius as other MP movies, there are a lot of little funny details throughout the movie. The thin plot revolves around everyone trying to get their hands on Yellowbeard's legendary treasure. Gags ensue. Oddly enough, it works. Graham Chapman is hilarious in his role as a blood-thirsty pirate and so is Eric Idle... But the true star of this film is Marty Feldman (Igor from Young Frankenstein). His character is similar to Igor's, but he steals every scene he's in. There's also a really funny cameo with David Bowie.I certainly do not agree with John Cleese that this was the worst movie he's ever been in. He's been in a lot of movies much worse than this one, and actually, his character here is pretty interesting and even funny.The plot is more or less of a Pirates of The Caribbean meets Monty Python, and it was interesting enough to keep me watching. I thought this was better than Jabberwocky and (although it is much sillier) it also reminded me a bit of Erik The Viking.Cheech & Chong are here and they are disappointing as Spaniards. Chong has a incredibly annoying lisp and his accent just doesn't work, let's say, as opposed to Michael Palin's hilarious performance in 'Life of Brian'. Cheech has an easier time since he's Hispanic, but their roles are simply unfunny, like much of their regular work. That's probably because wasn't any hemp in this movie (aside from the ones on Yellowbeard's hair!) Maybe they should have played stoned pirates or something like that.I was really surprised that this movie didn't suck. Sure, it's not a work of art or a must-have for Monty Python / Cheech & Chong fans. But chances are, if you're just expecting to have some mindless fun, this movie will do the trick. Just turn off your brain and enjoy. 6/10

Lee Eisenberg Peter Boyle's death yesterday brings to mind all his movies, including the rather silly "Yellowbeard". The movie features Graham Chapman as the title character, an 18th-century pirate who gets released from jail to help the British government find his treasure. That's when he finds out that he has a son who has little desire to be a pirate. From there, much of the movie consists of sword fights, one-liners, and Cheech & Chong. Overall, I thought that it was a little bit lamer than it could have been, but I agree with a previous reviewer that it's just neat to see all these people together in a movie. The flick is little more than a way to pass time, but there's a few laughs along the way. Also starring John Cleese, Eric Idle, Marty Feldman (in his final role; the movie is dedicated to him), Peter Cook, Kenneth Mars, Spike Milligan, and David Bowie in a cameo.And remember: he has a big yellow beard.