Popular reviews

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  Review by Marie Bardi ★★★ 1

  (In a Stefan from SNL voice)

  This movie has *everything*

  An albino,
  A bible-selling dwarf,
  Old ladies playing a vulgar game of Scrabble,
  "Charming" Chevy Chase,
  A domesticated python,
  A pope,
  A bishop and his twin brother,
  An original song by Barry Manilow,
  A performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta "The Mikado,"
  An anti-rape sound machine,
  Spanish Fly,
  A helium-inflated blow-up doll,
  Japanese tourists in the back of a taxi waving American flags,
  and an *adorable* Goldie Hawn.

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  Review by threepenny ★★★★ 2

  So many things I can't take my eyes off of: Burgess Meredith kung fu fighting with Rachel Roberts. Goldie Hawn in that bridesmaid's dress. Dudley Moore and his inflatable sex dolls and Saturday Night Fever. Chevy Chase in his prime. When he does those deadpan line deliveries, when he's on, no one can touch him (In this movie, I especially admired the timing of, "Gloria...did you drop a lot of acid earlier tonight?"). Made me nostalgic for San Francisco, back when it was still a living city and not a tech-bro impoverished wasteland where no one can afford the housing, but the heroin is free. They meet some Japanese tourists at one point and I can confirm that "Kojack -…

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  Review by theironcupcake 24

  "I think we got off on the wrong foot."
  "Yes, and it seems to be in your mouth."
  "Okay, I deserve that. Listen, it's Gloria, right? You're a really nice girl and I'm a nice guy, and you're very pretty with or without cleavage, and what do you say... would you like to take a shower?"
  "I don't pick up strange men!"
  "Well, that's your problem."
  "So why don't you try it?"

  Happy New Year, everybody! Foul Play is one of those movies I've seen more times than I can count, so although I don't think I can accurately rate it - there's stuff I adore, also some parts that are really, really dated - it still felt appropriate to…

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  Review by Xeremy Hall 🟠🟢🔵 ★★★½

  I started watching this because its a Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn from 1978 that I've never seen and it seems like a recipe for great comedy, at least that's what I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was a Hitchcockian-style espionage thriller with scenic shots of San Francisco reminiscent of Vertigo as the backdrop. I was kind of blown away by director Colin Higgins's take on this story and how closely he was inspired by the legendary director right down to the score and music cues.

  So, what about the comedy aspect... don't worry there are some great laughs. I'm pretty sure I just witnessed the single greatest scene of Dudley Moore's career. Dudley Moore's cameo as a sex-crazed…

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  Review by theironcupcake 4

  "Look, Gloria, I know you've been through something here tonight, real or imagined. But I just wanna bring you down to earth a bit. You gotta see how absurd this whole thing is. We have no dead body, there's been no sign of violence. Our suspects are albinos and chain smokers?"

  Noirvember #8
  (Previous review here.)

  We as a society have forgotten the importance of seduction via disco. Should I trust any man's apartment that doesn't come equipped with a horn to announce the opening and closing of the mirror-bedecked Murphy bed (extra tambourine accompaniment optional), an entire closet dedicated to sex toys and a projector setup for dirty movies? Human desire, as Stanley says, it's a fascinating thing.

  Excuse me while I add Rachel Roberts' brawlin' look to my wardrobe, stat.

  "Gloria, sweetheart, we live in a violent society. Weirdos all around. Get them before they get you."

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  Review by Wesley Stenzel ★★½

  A romantic-comedy-mystery-thriller that’s just kinda in between all genres and doesn’t excel at any of them. It’s completely serviceable but not very funny or thrilling. Comedy rarely ages well.

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  Review by noir1946 ★★½

  “There’s going to be a murder.”

  Sometimes a tired cinephile just wants to watch something lightweight, and there’s nothing lighter in weight than a comedy starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. I’d seen Foul Play twice previously and remembered it being better than it is. Perhaps I was too tired. I deliver the following with sincere apologies to all my dear friends who love this film.

  “I read about it in Penthouse.”

  Foul Play is the first film directed by screenwriter Colin Higgins (Harold and Maude), and it never quite finds its rhythm. Too many scenes are too long, and at 116 minutes, the film itself is longer than such a comedy should be. One especially long scene occurs in…

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  Review by Jim Dooley ★★★ 2

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  FOUL PLAY is one of those movies that goes down like bubbly champagne on an initial viewing … and more like a cheap cocktail on subsequent viewings.  I remember this being Extremely Popular upon its initial release, and I had friends who went to see it multiple times.  (They claimed it was for the Dudley Moore scenes.)  And while I did (and still do) find things to enjoy, it is an odd backward step for Screenwriter Colin Higgins whose earlier film, SILVER STREAK, was considerably better.  In addition, Higgins was also the Director this time which may have blinded him to some of the problems.
     
  The biggest problem is that this is a parody of mystery-thriller classics like…

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  Review by Scarecrow88 ★★★★

  Talk about nostalgia. This is one of the first films that I can actually remember at a very young age watched by my parents prior to 1984. Now obviously upon its release, I was not even a year old so it wasn't until cable that I would even have a single recollection, but I do recall how major over Hawn and Chase were with my own parents, not to mention, how over Barry Manilow was with my mom. While some of the comedy setpieces and bits probably do not age well today as opposed to how that was more attached to 1978 -- not quite sure Billy Barty's bible salesman would endure such an elaborate slapstick injuries gag rolling down…

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  Review by Dave Edwards ★★★

  Foul Play is one of my favorite Chevy performances and an entry in his filmography that doesn’t come up in conversation as much as it should. Collin Higgins’s script allows for all the comedian’s hallmarks—flirting, bumbling, and verbal dexterity—but also highlights his capacity for light (dare I say sweet?) comedy and proves Chase a capable romantic lead. Hawn has her movie star charm turned to eleven and shares genuine chemistry with Chase. Since the film deftly blends genre*, Hawn has plenty of opportunity to showcase her range, as the actress really sells the dramatic and suspenseful set pieces, generating several truly intense moments. Foul Play also serves as a stark reminder of the massive amount of potential Chase had as a movie star which was ultimately derailed by his narcissism and cocaine addiction. 

  
  * Foul Play is best described as a romantic comedy-suspense-caper with heavy Hitchcock tones and Thin Man references

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  Review by Christian Ryan ★★★ 4

  I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to write about this film. I saw the damn thing nearly three months ago - a quarter of a bloody year! How about I just tell you what I remember?

  I remember Goldie Hawn at her most adorable, driving down the coast listening to Barry Manilow... or was that Seems Like Old Times? I think I remember Burgess Meredith and Rachel Roberts in some kind of martial arts throwdown. No, that can’t be right. And was that a sex-crazed Dudley Moore dancing around in his underwear, watching a porno through binoculars with Staying Alive blaring in the background? OK, I definitely imagined that one. And something about a boa constrictor smoking cigarettes? Or…

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  Review by jmandel4 ★★★½

  The type of silly comedy I imagine was way more popular in the 70s and 80s. I did quite like Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn in this.