Rating: 
Summary: Buy "The Cheap Detective"--you'll love it!
Review: "The Cheap Detective" is a yet another masterpiece penned by Neil Simon who brought you "The Odd Couple" and "California Suite." This film is excellent, starring a wonderful cast consisting of Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Fernando Lamos, Eileen Brennen, Ann Margaret, Stockard Channing, James Coco,Louise Flecter, Marsha Mason, and Sid Caeser. "The Cheap Detective" showcases the talent of the late, great Madeline Kahn, in a role which required her to assume a multitude of names. Peter Falk fits the role of a tough-talking P.I. perfectly. Dom DeLuise is just stupid (in the funniest of ways) as a man who wears a horrible smelling cologne to keep his enemies away, and after contact with him suggests "bath in turpentine and you will be fine in the morning." Directed by Roger Moore (Neil Simon's "Murder by Death"), "The Cheap Detective reunites Peter Falk, Eileen Brennen, James Coco and James Cromwell. See it--if you like comedy, you'll love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Buy "The Cheap Detective"--you'll love it!
Review: "The Cheap Detective" is a yet another masterpiece penned by Neil Simon who brought you "The Odd Couple" and "California Suite." This film is excellent, starring a wonderful cast consisting of Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Fernando Lamos, Eileen Brennen, Ann Margaret, Stockard Channing, James Coco,Louise Flecter, Marsha Mason, and Sid Caeser. "The Cheap Detective" showcases the talent of the late, great Madeline Kahn, in a role which required her to assume a multitude of names. Peter Falk fits the role of a tough-talking P.I. perfectly. Dom DeLuise is just stupid (in the funniest of ways) as a man who wears a horrible smelling cologne to keep his enemies away, and after contact with him suggests "bath in turpentine and you will be fine in the morning." Directed by Roger Moore (Neil Simon's "Murder by Death"), "The Cheap Detective reunites Peter Falk, Eileen Brennen, James Coco and James Cromwell. See it--if you like comedy, you'll love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: 'Nice catch Mr Pekinpah, I was almost a widow!'
Review: About 70 minutes into the film enters Jezebel Desire (a sex starved Rumanian played to perfection by a very funny Ann-Margret) with her wheelchair bound husband (Sid Caesar), two minutes later, she's trying to push him into a very large open flaming fire, only just being caught by Sam (Peter Falk). Peter Falk is excellent in his role (underplayed and cool) and deals with each crisis as Bogey would have done.All the female characters in The Cheap Detective have soild, yet very funny roles. They definately fair better then their male counterparts - Marsha Mason, Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, Louise Fletcher, Madeline Khan and Ann-Margret all play their characters with gusto. There are so many winks and nods to the 40's film noir genre especially The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep and Casablanca, now I can't watch one of them without laughing; in fact, whenever I'm watching one of those films I have to turn the film off and put The Cheap Detective on instead!
Rating: 
Summary: In The City By The Bay
Review: After acheiving something of a success with the very funny murder mystery spoof, Murder By Death, screenwriter Neil Simon and director Robert Moore teamed up again for the film noir send up The Cheap Detective. While not as good as Murder by Death, there are plenty of laughs still to be had, thanks to its star studded cast.
Blending the plots of the classics Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, you don't have to have seen these films to get the jokes. Peter Falk is Lou Peckingpaugh, the worldly, cynical gumshoe who takes on thugs, crooks, Nazis, femme fatales and the Golden Gate Bridge in this tribute to Bogie and the Hammett/Chandler school of hard-boiled detectives. An incredible ensemble cast does take-offs of characters made famous by Mary Astor (Madeline Kahn), Sidney Greenstreet (John Houseman), Lauren Bacall (Ann-Margret), Peter Lorre (Dom DeLuise), Ingrid Bergman (Louis Fletcher), and Paul Henreid (Fernando Lamas).
Simon's script is another winner, even though the jokes in the film are not quite as finely tuned, of course its possible I'm spoiled by Murder By Death. Director Robert Moore plays to his cast's strengths. Falk uses his experience as TV's Columbo and really plays it up. The late Madeline Kahn is a riot, but then again she always made the most of any role she had. Consider yourself warned--things can get rather silly. It's clear that everyone involved had a lot of fun
The DVD extras include a 11 minute interview with Neil Simon in which he gives us an all too short glimse behind the scenes. A full sized retrospective would have probably been better and more satifying. Theatrical trailers for the film as well as Murder By Death (highly recommended), static talent files and a production notes insert top off the bonus material.
The Cheap Dectective is recommended...Although not as good as Murder By Death, you'll still have fun watching this film
Rating:
Summary: Superb satire
Review: An hilarious spoof of classic Bogart films. Falk fills the Bogie role, Fernando Lamas, Madeline Kahn and Eileen Brennan are excellent.If you appreciate Casablanca,The Maltese Falcon,and The Big Sleep,you will certainly enjoy not only the acting,but the stage settings as well. Outstanding
Rating:
Summary: The Maltease Falk
Review: Cheap fun at any price. Falk's Columbo character makes him a known commodity to kids who wouldn't otherwise sit still for this. Falk does an excellent Bogart parody as he solves whatever the crime is here. Who cares. The villians are Dom DeLuise and John Houseman and Paul Williams who suffers a beating at his own hands. The Madeline Kahn performance is brilliant as always. Her character name is...well I guess we don't really know even by the end of the movie. Fernando Lamas does a fine take off of Paul Heinreid or Fernando Lamas or somebody. Sid Caesar is as you might expect, Ann Margret's husband, I think. If you've ever seen Casablanca or Maltese Falcon you will be able to follow some of this. It doesn't matter. This is funny. Tom Willett
Rating:
Summary: What would you do with six lovely women?
Review: Good All-Star cast. Excellent 1940 period piece. This 1978 makes you feel you are in the 1940's. Excellent sets. Not much of a mystery here, but lots of well-written comedic lines. What would you do with six lovely women at the same time? See MURDER BY DEATH (1976).
Rating:
Summary: What would you do with six lovely women?
Review: Good All-Star cast. Excellent 1940 period piece. This 1978 makes you feel you are in the 1940's. Excellent sets. Not much of a mystery here, but lots of well-written comedic lines. What would you do with six lovely women at the same time? See MURDER BY DEATH (1976).
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest films of all time!!
Review: If you loved "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca".... you will love this take off on both of those classics!!
Falk shows us he has a real flare for comedy.... and many lines in the film are immortal...
I laughed so hard when I saw this film and I think you will too!
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest films of all time!!
Review: If you loved "The Maltese Falcon", "Casablanca" and "Chinatown"... you will love this take off on all 3.... Falk showed us he has a real flare for comedy.... and the lines are immortal... "If it's a piece you want, you can get it right here".... "My name is Barbara Stanwick".... "You are gonna get the damned papers!!".... "Quicker, Quicker!! ... Yes Sir?".... "Okay, now just ME!!".... "I wear disgustingly cheap perfume".... "I love it when you give me orders!" This is THE best movie for Eileen Brennen, Stockard Channing, and a few others who had many great roles in film.
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