I read the reviews for this film before I tried watching and I found my reaction was somewhere in the middle. Some described it as being among Jerry Lewis' worst films, though I think films like "Which Way to the Front?", "Cracking Up", "Slapstick of Another Kind" and "Three on a Couch" are much, much worse. And, it certainly is no work of great genius like some have said. It's a decent little time-passer with a few faults.When the film begins, Jerry is fishing and somehow hooks onto someone in a wetsuit. The guy ends up being a gangster who could be Jerry's double and he tells Jerry about some hidden loot. As for Jerry, he wants to do the right thing and tries to get police and others to listen to his account of catching the man...but no one seems willing to listen. And, as for the gangsters who shot the man Jerry caught, they are now looking for the fisherman because they think the dead man must have told him about the money. Despite this being the theme, the movie is almost plot less at times, a bit like "The Bellboy"...which isn't all bad since this earlier Lewis film is among his best. Now I am not saying all the silliness or Jerry's dressing up like the Nutty Professor work most of the time...but it is pleasant and diverting during much of the film. Overall, no bomb nor work of genius but a generally decent little film that will offer a few laughs...just a few. There certainly could have been more laughs and Charlie Callas was simply awful...but fortunately he was only used sparingly in the picture. Also awful was Lewis' embarrassingly bad imitation of Japanese folks...a definite low- point in the film...or in any film that came out that year.By the way, look quickly and you might spot Rob Reiner in his film debut. You'll also see Colonel Sanders...though he is pretty obvious!

Having just watched this on YouTube, there were plenty of good and bad things about this movie. The Good: supporting performances of Del Moore as hotel clerk Mr. Hodges who gets the brunt of Jerry Lewis' accidents, Charlie Callas as one of the gangster's hoods Rex who does his nervous shtick when he finds Jerry's doppelanger hood is still "alive", and especially John Nolan who plays "FBI Agent" Webster-you'll figure out why I put quotes around his title. There's also funny scenes of Jerry in a phone booth trying to get to the police as well as of police officers arguing what a certain code means as Jerry is stopped while speeding. And I did like Jerry both when he's "normal" and in disguise. The Bad: The Asian stereotypes. It's especially embarrassing to see "Star Trek" player George Takei playing this kind of role as a henchman who suffers a tragic fate. Also, I didn't like the dialogue exchange between Lewis and leading lady Susan Bay about his "problem". Such double entendre has no place in a family comedy like this (I know, there's some violence but somehow that's more acceptable here). And the chase climax was pretty lame. Overall, this was pretty enjoyable despite some of the more objectionable material I cited. So on that note, I did like The Big Mouth. P.S. I didn't recognize Rob Reiner or Charo in their cameos so either I missed them or IMDb got it wrong. (I'm not really accusing this site, just wondering where either Reiner or Charo could have been in the movie) Oh, and one more thing: supporting player Buddy Lester is from my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.

This time, Jerry Lewis plays reporter Gerald Clamson, who just happens to be a dead ringer for Sid Valentine, wanted by a crime syndicate. The only thing is, Valentine is supposed to be dead, so when the thugs see Clamson, you can imagine what sorts of things they do! Mistaken identity seems to be a frequent source of comedy (or drama; see "North by Northwest"). So even though "The Big Mouth" is nothing special, it's good for a few laughs. Most of the laughs come from what happens with the thugs when they see Clamson. But one also gets the feeling that Lewis was sort of losing his ability to come up with anything new after this. And now that we know what sort of a person he is in real life, that weakens it. But overall, this one's pretty funny.

"The Big Mouth" is one of the better Jery Lewis movies out there. While I have yet to see ALL of Lewis's earlier works, I have seen a good handful of the better known titles including "The Family Jewels" and "The Nutty Professor." This one is better than both. I always felt that it deserved more attention and props than "NP" (his most well known) simply because the humor was more consistent throughout and the comedic timing, especially with Jerry as Gerald Clamson, couldn't have been better. Some great examples include him and the bellhop during an awkward moment involving a tip. Another one involves him and an elderly Chinese man at the pearl shop at Sea World. His remark about Confucious is the stuff of legend. So is the man's reaction. I also felt that "NP" was lacking in good supporting characters that were wacky enough to hold there own against Clamson. This is why the movie fizzles and becomes somewhat stale early on. Nothing for him to play off of. "FJ" had plenty of characters, but they were all played by Jerry Lewis. In other words, that movie suffered from Lewis overload. "The Big Mouth" is a perfect balance of all these elements. Though it may lose some of its pacing around the second half, the movie is well worth at least a rental simply for the first. If you suddenly crave some good silliness that will actually make you laugh from time to time, this is the Jerry Lewis movie for you, if you can find it.p.s.-for Hojean, this is the one you're thinking of.