Foul Play
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Movie Reviews of Foul Play
Movie Review: "Beware of the dwarf!"
Summary: 5 Stars
After his meteoric rise in popularity from starring in the inaugural season of the ongoing, late-night TV comedy variety show "Saturday Night Live" (1975-), now veteran film actor Chevy Chase effectively began his big-screen career along side veteran big-screen comedic actress Goldie Hawn in the hilarious 1978 film "Foul Play". Taking place in the beautiful city of San Francisco, the single librarian Gloria Mundy (Goldie Hawn) becomes unwittingly entangled in a mysterious terrorist plot to kill Pope Pius XIII (Cyril Magnin, 1899-1988) when (while visiting San Francisco) he attends a performance of the 1885 opera "The Mikado" by William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). After Gloria witnesses a brutal killing and escapes an attempt on her own life, she is interviewed by bumbling San Francisco police detective Lt. Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase). Not totally convinced about her seemingly outlandish story of being attacked by an albino (William Frankfather, 1944-1998, in his big-screen debut) or the warnings she received about a dwarf, Tony nonetheless keeps a watchful eye upon Gloria whom he is attracted to. As Gloria continues to evade the killers, she meets the satyrical musical conductor Stanley Tibbets (the hilarious Dudley Moore, 1935-2002) and mistakenly confuses a short & innocent bible-salesman, J.J. MacKuen (Billy Barty, 1924-2000), to be the infamous dwarf. With a myriad of chase scenes, wistful dialog, unusual characters, Hitchcockian mystery and 1970's nostalgia, "Foul Play" is sure to bring a smile to most viewer's faces.
Memorable scenes in the film include Gloria meeting Stanley for the first time, Stanley's apartment, J.J. MacKuen at Gloria's front door, Gloria visiting J.J. at the hospital, the "massage" club, Gloria's friend & landlord Mr. Hennessey (Burgess Meredith, 1908-1997) taking on Delia Darrow (Rachel Roberts, 1927-1980), trying to get to the opera house, the Japanese couple (Rollin Moriyama, 1907-1992, and Mitsu Yashima) and the "Mikado" performance. Other memorable characters include Gloria's friend Stella (Marilyn Sokol), Archbishop Thorncrest/Archbishop's brother (Eugene Roche, 1928-2004), Rupert Stiltskin (Marc Lawrence), The Turk (Ion Teodorescu, 1934-1985), the truck driver (M. James Arnett) and Esme the snake (Shirley Python). Overall, I rate "Foul Play" with 5 out of 5 stars and am very happy to see it finally released on DVD. In an interesting bit of trivia, the name "Gloria Mundy" was derived from the Latin phrase, "Sic transit gloria mundi," which means, "So passes the glory of the world."
Movie Review: Perfect blend of comedy and thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
"Foul Play" is one of those little gems that come along far too rarely. Goldie Hawn plays Gloria, an introverted and recently-divorced librarian who accidentally comes into possession of material concerning an assassination plot. Suddenly, strangers (an albino, a man with a scarred face) are trying to kill her, and she has no idea why. Her allies are her landlord, Mr. Hennessey (Burgess Meredith) and the investigating policeman (Chevy Chase, in his first leading-man role), who is also falling for her.
The chemistry really works here; Hawn and Chase are one of the best and most believable couples in motion-picture history, and it's a shame they didn't make more movies together. The film wisely casts talented actors Burgess Meredith, Dudley Moore, and Rachel Roberts in supporting roles, creating some of the best scenes in the movie - indeed, the climactic battle between Meredith and Roberts is one of the funniest fight scenes ever put on film. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the story moves at just the right pace, and the movie is just as exciting as it is funny.
One of the best things about the plot is that Gloria, far from being the stereotypical dumb blonde, is a very intelligent, resourceful character who is capable of taking care of herself - and she wields a mean umbrella!
Movie Review: "Goldie Hawn's Best Movie"
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw "Foul Play" at a local drive-in, and I have always loved it. A superb comedy starring Goldie Hawn as a librarian without a social life, she plays Gloria Mundy who gets embroiled in an assasination attempt on the Pope's life. Filmed in beautiful San Francisco, the film also stars Chevy Chase in one of his better roles. He plays a cop who is hired to protect Gloria and to find the thugs who are out to murder the Pope. Rachel Roberts, who would take her own life in 1980, steals the movie as the mastermind behind this devious plot. Dudley Moore has a small supporting role in "Foul Play", playing a man Gloria meets at a bar.
"Foul Play" was written and directed by the wonderful "Colin Higgins", who would direct "9 to 5" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". The theme is sung by Barry Manilow and is called "Ready To Take A Chance Again", one of the best theme songs in movie history.
Sit back and enjoy a fun, well-written comedy, the way movies should be! I have watched this film over a dozen times and I never get tired of it.
The DVD is pretty much barebones, but it is in widescreen format, digitally restored, and it comes with the trailer.
Movie Review: Great 70s comedy & Excellent Anamorphic transfer to DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This review pertains to the 2004 "Widescreen Collection" release of 'Foul Play'. I was amazed at how great this 1978 comedy looks on DVD! Anamorphic widescreen that is enhanced for 16x9 aspect ratio TVs--the crystal-clear images fill the entire screen--no black bars anywhere. Colors are rich and natural and on my high-defintion, large-screen TV system (with a Toshiba 1080p HD DVD player) with surround sound, the movie looked and sounded almost like a high defintion DVD. The sound is also great--you will not be disappointed with either the picture or sound quality.
I haven't seen this movie since it was first released and I found it just as offbeat and funny as when I first saw it. Great cast, clean (rated PG) and filled with some great pacific coast-San Francisco scenery. Another reviewer criticized Barry Manilow's "Ready to Take a Chance" theme song--I thought this was a great beginning--I like Manilow's music--and the breathtaking scenery along that winding Pacific coast highway! Highly recommended!
Movie Review: Still Entertaining Today
Summary: 5 Stars
There aren't many '70's movies that can stand the test of time, but this is one of them! I recently watched this one again and enjoyed almost every minute of it.
Those of you that have never seen this are in for a real treat. Those of you that HAVE will enjoy yourselves when watching it again.
I remember the first time I saw this. I was amazed that a movie could have me jumping in one scene, and then laughing hysterically in the next.
It's a "whodunit".
It's a comedy.
It has an elaborate swinging singles apartment.
It has car chases.
It has dirty scrabble playing.
It has disco music.
It has snakes.
It has karate action.
It has a dwarf.
It has an albino.
It has a man-with-a-scar.
It even has opera!
What more could you want?
And the price is right!
Definitely worth adding to your DVD collection!