Ford Fairlane - Rock'n' Roll Detective

Was this going to win Best Picture? Hell no.

But "Adventures of Ford Fairlane" is the movie you watch when you're about to go to sleep because you have a big meeting in the morning and then you see the opening credits on HBO at 11:30pm and you just have to watch it.

Movies like this, as self-serving and gross as they are, actually are more important today more than they were when they came out in the 80s and 90s. They are a reminder of a time when we could laugh at something that was gross and disgusting without having to worry about protests from leftist screaming about micro aggressions. No one names their penis "Stanley" anymore. No one is banned from MTV. No one says nursery rhymes with the word pu$$y in them.

No one knew it at the time, but AFF is an important snapshot of a better time in pop culture.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people, who fancy themselves critics, meander off into the political and try to use theatrical jargon to disguise what it is they really dislike about a movie. If you go to a movie which is a vehicle for Andrew Dice Clay who in my estimation is one of the greatest comic minds in history, (and he has the records to prove it, being the only comedian to sell out Madison Square Gardens 2 nights consecutively) how can his brand of humor be used as legitimate criticism in a movie which promotes his brand of comedy to the hilt? It's moronic, if you don't like his shtick, you won't like the movie..end of story. Why did you go see it? and why do you write sprawling reviews ...when you could sum it up in a sentence. I hate Dice's humor so naturally I hated this movie. That much said this movie was "The goods" and would have been one of the top 20 box office earners of 1990 had 20th century fox not caved to political pressure and yanked it after only 3 weeks. 12 million opening week? flop me thinks not. The cinemephotography is some of the best work since michael chapman's work in the Lost Boys. The cast are all wonderful in their cartoon roles, With Dice in the lead and Wayne Newton as the villain steeling the show. The movie is hilarious. But to prove that I am not completely biased as a dice fan, there where some minor elelments that bugged me. The editing towards the middle of the movie seemed to get sloppy, especially during the scenens in which biker hit men descend upon the sorority house. And there is a scene in which ford fairlane is being inducted as an honorary member, this is silly and does not jel with his macho stick. Also Morris Dey in a supporting role, gave a dreadful performance, which is sad because he can act, as anyone who has seen Purple Rain knows. Aside from these minor annoyances, the adventures of ford fairlane delivers all it promised, and should have become a franchise film, had 20th century fox maintained more artistic integrity in the face of controversy, not to mention business savvy as it was still making money when they pulled it despite al the undserved negative publicity. One of the best comedies of the 90s.

The title of my post says it all for the ratings this movie received. I mean less than a 5?? This movie is in the cult classic section in every video store I go to! Sure this movie was harsh and witty while poking fun at the music industry of the late 80s/early 90s. And for those of you familiar with the late 80s/early 90s music scene, you'll remember how chaotic it was back then! This movie is a testament to all the decadent happenings during that time. Although filled with campy one-liners, an all-star cast, and extremely vulgar material, it's a Dice movie after all! That's how it's supposed to be! Granted this movie is not for everyone, it's still fun to just sit there and laugh along with the movie's gags. Offensive maybe, cheesy maybe. Get over it ya wimp!

This movie always cracks me up. I should note that I'm SO not a fan of Andrew "Dice" Clay, I think his stand-up shows suck, big time. But here, he's simply fantastic as Ford Fairlane, the Rock'n Roll Detective, who mostly gets paid in the form of gifts or memorabilia.

Dice's jokes here work perfectly each time, one quotable line after another ("so many assholes, so few bullets", "you're a poet and didn't know it", "talking with Zuzu is like ************ with a cheese-grinder, slightly enjoyable but mostly painful" to name a few). The film never takes itself seriously, yet somehow keeps it from ever going into slapstick territory.

Supporting actors do well also, Presly is always a stunner, Wayne Newton gives his best ever performance as Fairlane's nemesis and Ed O'Neill is a riot as a former disco singer turned detective. Robert Englund gives a rather amusing performance as a very inept crook who's ultimate fate is nothing short of hilarious.

Finnish director Harlin directs with a sure hand, everything in the technical department in tip top shape and it's very visually stylish at times. The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is definitely not for everyone, but it's not only for die hard Clay fans, since I sure as hell ain't one of them. But I think he's perfect here and the film is very funny and comes highly recommended by me.

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane looks pretty much at the Diceman at his stand-up comedy best. But, this time, he has a character and is a rock and roll detective. As usual he is the offensive Dice. Off-color, crude, and for me (a rabid Dice fan) utterly dead pan funny. But though I find Andrew Dice Clay to be a good actor, many people might see this movie and think that he is just using this film as an excuse for people to see his stand-up act. Well, like the film, the opinions are two sided. You either love the Diceman's comedy, or utterly hate it. I'm going for the upper. Great comedy and entertainment in this block-buster that rocketed Dice.