Sexylocher Masterful Movie

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

SanteeFats I found this movie to be extremely funny. The movie is loaded with iconic actors. It parodies several Bogart films with great humor. The dialogue's are sometimes a little obtuse if you don't know which movies they are coming from. Mostly older film noir movies before a lot of people were born. Peter Falk gets the lead here and is very good as a Bogie impersonator. Several women come and go through out the film, always interacting with Falk and they supply a lot of the funny lines and lead ins. There are just so many actors in this that I could probably fill the line requirement just listing them but I think Madeline Kahn, John Houseman, and Dom DeLuise deserve a mention. At the end it is learned that all the bodies are the result of one widow's (after she kills her husband) poor shooting. She is trying to bump off the women who come in contact with Falk and shoots like a blind person.

TxMike I was drawn to this movie because the TV guide listed Peter Falk and Ann-Margret as the stars. My only disappointment was that Ann-Margret's character didn't make an appearance until well past the half-way point in the movie, but at her mid- to late-30s she is in superb form.I like this movie greatly, but for a reason most would not guess. It is the cast, with Falk, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Ceasar, Stockard Channing, Dom DeLuise, John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, Fernando Lamas, Marsha Mason, Phil Silvers, Abe Vigoda, Paul Williams, James Cromwell, Scatman Crothers, David Ogden Stiers, Vic Tayback, and Louise Fletcher, just a couple of years after her memorable role as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over". All names I enjoyed on TV and in the movies during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It was a blast down memory lane seeing all of them in this movie.Peter Falk is Private Eye Lou Peckinpaugh, who gets investigated early for the murder of his partner. Of course he is not guilty and the thread of a story is to find out who did it, and also to recover some very large diamonds that went missing some years earlier. And to end up on a foggy night at the wharf, where someone with papers will be boarding a ship.Set in 1940s San Francisco, the absurd titles introducing the story makes the point that San Francisco is 7000 miles from Casablanca. But that is meaningful in that much of the story is a sort of parody of the movie, "Casablanca" where Rick plays an American helping his former lover and her husband get papers to leave. In this movie many of the scenes take place in a piano bar, very much like the one Rick owned in Casablanca, even with a black piano player. As the detective, Lou speaks in a style and cadence that sound very much like Bogart in his various detective roles. At other times he sounds just like Columbo, the character of Falk's TV series.The actual story is secondary, the fun here is the snappy and absurdly funny dialog. It makes me wonder if the "Scary Movie" series of flicks was inspired by this one, "The Cheap Detective."

bkoganbing If Humphrey Bogart could have seen The Cheap Detective he'd have loved every minute of it. I counted satirical moments from The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not as well as other noir classics that Neil Simon cleverly worked into a plot that makes no rational sense, but will keep you glued to the chair with laughter.Bogey would have liked Peter Falk's spot on impersonation of the detective from the wrong side of the tracks. Falk is always a player with one amazing bag of tricks whether he's serious as in Murder, Inc., or funny as in Robin and the Seven Hoods or a bit of both as in The Brink's Job.Not since It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World had so many funny people gathered together for one film. Even normally serious actors like Fernando Lamas and Nicol Williamson seem to be having a ball just hamming it up. My favorite aside from Falk is Eileen Brennan as Betty DeBoop. How can you go wrong with a name like that.You can't describe any kind of plot, the whole thing is so much wonderful nonsense. Just sit back and enjoy.

ozthegreatat42330 Following closely on the heels of the hilarious "Murder By Death" and using a few of the same actors, is Neil Simon's classic spoof and tribute to the film noir detective pictures of Humphrey Bogart. With the comedy talents of Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn, James Coco, Paul Williams and many more the combined spoof of "Casablanca," "The Maltese Falcon" and "San Francisco" are a true screen gem. As always, the film features the witty dialog of Neil Simon, who captures the flavor and pokes gentle fun at those films. There are also several running gags throughout the film such as the miserliness of Falk's character, from which the movie gets its title. Falk perfectly deflates the characters played by Bogie in the afore mentioned films, while Madeline Kahn is over the top as the mysterious women with a different name each time he sees her. Louise Fletcher films in perfectly as the heroine from Casablanca, while Fernando Lamas is her resistance fighter husband. And John Houseman shines as the double of the Sidney Greenstreet Character. Finally there is Niccol Williamson as the Nazi colonel from Casablanca. If you love good comedy, or enjoyed those Bogart movies, this is the perfect film for you