Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982 Directed by Carl Reiner
Synopsis
Laugh...or I’ll blow your lips off!
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are "The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta."
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I haven't seen Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in a long time, so the chance to catch it again in 35mm was a big draw. It's witty and very funny, although the comedy may be a little gendered (if not really sexist), and I guess I'm not sure how much the movie's gimmick really adds to it, since much of the scenes are heavily edited to make the gag work (the best "cameos" are the ones that basically "work" without much manipulation, like Bogey and Vincent Price).
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What a fantastic idea and it works so well.
This has got to be Steve Martin's best performance I have seen and this was a role perfect for him to play.
Shame the comedy wasn't better as within 30 minutes it was running dry.
Not really a fan of the old black and white's but picked out some great legends that have been used through the film.
Not a classic but worth viewing.
Check it out. -
I'm not sure what I think of Steve Martin. On the one hand he's been quite amusing at the Oscars and sketches like the absent-minded waiter make me chuckle. On the other, I find that his comedies lack a humorous sharpness and that the jokes either aren't funny or so drawn-out they become annoying. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is an exception as it offers a solid good time. Possibly I feel this way because it plays like a series of sketches stitched together into bigger story. While it doesn't make me laugh out loud, it succeeds in bringing a big smile to my face several times when I watch it.
The film's premise is as simple as it is…
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It's pretty cool seeing how cleverly classic 1940's film noir clips are woven into the plot. Funny must see for fans of comedy, Steve Martin, and film noir.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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I'm so glad I watched all those classic noir films before seeing this, and it was a nice surprise to see some of the scenes used in it to great comic effect, Steve Martin talking to Ray Milland and dressed as a woman talking to Fred MacMurray was very funny.
The film itself was funny, but not in the same league as The Jerk or The Man With Two Brains, but well worth a watch.
It was great film spotting the classics and the film legends.
Plus Rachel Ward looked so beautiful.
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Movie #19 of The June Challenge
I have no idea how Reiner came up with this idea or how he managed to pull it off, but a lot of credit has to go to Steve Martin for tying all the strings together. The fact that that the plot is even semi-convincing is a credit to his abilities.
I guess I have a few noirs to watch now, as I only recognized a handful of the twenty films. What a great problem to have.
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Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand"
An absolute necessity for any film noir fan, Dead Man Don’t Wear Plaid—much like director Carl Reiner and star Steve Martin’s other co-scripted comedies of the time, The Jerk and The Man with Two Brains—is a movie of terrific energy and inventive wit, delivered with the silliest streak imaginable. Concocting a detective story around a selection of clips from almost twenty classic noirs, it pits Martin against the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis in a tremendously entertaining parody of the genre’s tropes. It may play better to those familiar with the films featured, hinged as much of its comedy is on facetious recontextualisation; whether a noir expert or a…
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Absolutely brilliant and hilarious send-up of classic noir thrillers using actual clips from a ton of those movies. YOU MUST SEE THIS!
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So this is what a good Steve Martin movie looks like... Iv'e always liked Martin, although that's probably due to his funny SNL sketches and Oscars related stuff as he has probably done one and a half good movies in his career. Well this bumps it up to two and a half. This movie has the brilliant idea of integrating old movie scenes and sort of parodying them with humour. Most of the integrations was seamless and i immediately recognized most of the actors which was enjoyable, however I felt that it was probably a little overused as I was getting annoyed with the constant over the shoulder shots. Going with black and white was also a good choice, and…
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A classic comedy in every sense. One of Steve Martin's best.
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What a fantastic idea and it works so well.
This has got to be Steve Martin's best performance I have seen and this was a role perfect for him to play.
Shame the comedy wasn't better as within 30 minutes it was running dry.
Not really a fan of the old black and white's but picked out some great legends that have been used through the film.
Not a classic but worth viewing.
Check it out. -
Lembro que quando fui ao cinema ver este filme eu perdi uns 30 minutos achando que o que eu estava vendo era um curta metragem sem interesse e que o filme ainda iria começar. É que o filme é em preto e branco!!! Recomendo.
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"You don't deserve a puppy."
It's a shame this isn't funnier because it's a pretty good concept. I love the other Reiner/Martin movies, unfortunately this didn't hold up.
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Childhood fave. The cuts are a bit more obvious in widescreen (it's weird that they didn't just release it in 4:3), Rachel Ward's hair is a little off, but otherwise the period detail is beautiful. Similarly, most of the jokes land on target (I particularly love the exchanges with the old films, some of the joke set-ups are dynamite) but some of the modern jokes fall a little flat. Biggest problem is probably the weird pacing, but they're all minor complaints, the film is a joy for film buffs and helped make this film buff who he is.