"Twelve Chairs" is one of the greatest classics of Russian literature, the 1977 movie rendition of it (directed by Mark Zakharov) is simply an excellent movie. In comparison (and actually, even without one) this Mel Brooks film is simply pathetic. It is, actually, beyond me why Brooks would choose this poignantly satirical work for a slap-stick comedy. If this is the only version of "12 Chairs" that you have seen, or read, then you have no idea of what that book is all about.