Growing up, and all through junior high and high school, we thought it was the funniest thing ever made.
When I re-watched it recently, now 25 years old, I realized it's really not funny at all beyond a few sight gags and one-liners ("We ain't found shit!"). Somewhere along the way, Mel Brooks started writing Family Guy humor instead of actual jokes -- and by that I mean Spaceballs derives its humor from merely referencing other works (namely, Star Wars), instead of actually making jokes. (Oh, I get it. It's Yoda, except instead of a wise old sage midget, he's a Jewish midget. Cool.)
"HA! Do you see what I did there? I made a thinly veiled reference! Do you see what I was referencing? Because I made made you think of something else, it's funny! Laugh! Laugh, you fools! Are you not entertained?"
It's a really stark contrast to something like Young Frankenstein, wherein the Monster, upon seeing the girl by the pond, gets a knowing grin and glint in his eyes, as a nice callback to the original movie. Then it cuts. End of scene. The Mel Brooks that made Spaceballs would, instead, have the Monster toss the girl in the pond, laugh like a maniacal jackass the whole while and then say, "I feel like I've been here before."
That was the first time I ever saw Patrick Stewart as anything else besides Picard.
