After reading the Maltin summary, I was a little afraid to rent this movie. Tasteless? I'd loved watching it as a kid on TV (I think I saw it about six times). But a lot of comedies don't make it past their decade.
Foul Play does better than most. It's the characters that make it. Imagine a feminist librarian warning Goldie Hawn about men by telling her "Really, honey, you gotta drag yourself into the seventies!"
Goldie Hawn plays her role sweetly.
The Dudley Moore slapstick didn't delight me as much as when I was a kid (it's a little broad).
The writer and director, Colin Higgins, is known for Harold and Maude. This film doesn't measure up to that one, but it still has a lot of the same touches. In particular, it's the human side of the humor. I laughed at the characters AND liked them.
Once the film leaves the characters for the action, it's not as much fun. The carchase ending drags on a bit too long.
All in all, a sweet movie. Great fun if you'd like to "drag yourself into the seventies."
