Find the Lady

Before John Candy was really famous, he starred in this rather silly Canadian movie about a series of kidnappings. He plays police officer Kopek, investigating the kidnappings and getting into a bunch of loopy situations along the way. The only other cast member whom I recognized was Mickey Rooney, playing a trigger-happy hit-man named Trigger (although apparently, Peter Cook also starred).

Overall, "Find the Lady" is nothing special, mostly a series of gags, but it's pretty fun, especially the end scene. I guess that you could say that it backs up what Michael Moore always says: Canada is the greatest place on earth.

Seeing John Candy on the video cover might give you a sense this movie would be a hilarious comedy, but it isn't the case for this one. This is an early acting appearance for Candy, who plays a bumbling detective named Kopek who, along with partner Broom (Lawrence Dane) tries to solve a complicated kidnapping case involving a businessman's daughter. These two characters reprise their roles from It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time, released the previous year, though their screen time was somewhat limited.

The casting is appropriate, though, confusing: Peter Cook, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Emery as the bad guys and plenty of product placement for the Canadian pizza chain Pizza Pizza. There's not too many laugh-out-loud moments in this film, aside from a few instances of physical slapstick, especially the first ten minutes of the film, but it's, at least, watchable.

This isn't the worst comedy of all-time, but that is about the best thing that I can say about this pathetic film. I didn't laugh once, or even smile once during this bomb. There was usually something going on on-screen, so I didn't get TOO bored, but most of the jokes here were simply awful. The final sequence is nothing more than a long series of people falling through doors and stumbling all over the place. Needless to say, it was a fitting way to end a movie that was impossible for me to like.

It's generally the case that putting together a great international cast does not a great movie make. This is borne out by this dire 'comedy' that, on paper, looks like a winner but on screen is tired, dull and yields zero laughs. The comedy element relies on lots of people falling over, especially John Candy, and a script that contains no jokes whatsoever. It's embarrassing to see the likes of Peter Cook walking through the film almost comatose. One would think the producers were trying to cash in on the 'Pink Panther' movies, with many similarities in the style and story, heavy reliance on slapstick humour, and the two bungling detectives. They don't even come close. Perhaps the only interest is to see the bizarre pairing of Mickey Rooney and Dick Emery as the films' gangster villains.

with john candy, mickey rooney and peter cook you wouldn't blame me for hoping something interesting would happen. it didn't. what a mutt!

insipid jokes, terrible music, lousy lighting as well as the cheap and nasty location shoots, all give early indications of where canadian film making was headed. this is the film culture that flowered with "porky's".

don't watch this film. i beg you.

the gong sound everytime the chinese guy enters the room may be the most tasteless bit of the picture, but i don't know. anyone see anything less tasteful in there?