Lucky Stiff

As I sat through a screening of the musical "Lucky Stiff" at the Sedona International Film Festival, I kept asking myself: "Why isn't this a stage production?"

The answer came afterward, in a Q&A with actress Pamela Shaw: It was. The off-Broadway production ran for 15 shows in 1988 and was reprised in London's West End in 1997.

The follow-up question, then, is why make the movie? Crickets chirping.

The only clue – provided by Shaw, who plays crazy boyfriend-killer Rita LaPorta in the film – is that wine might have been involved.

A cast of well-known musical theater talents emotes like crazy, exactly as one would expect for actors projecting from a stage. Gaps between scenes are filled with throwback animation reminiscent of "The Pink Panther" movies from the 1960s and '70s or the theme from "Bewitched." I think the animation actually works, but "Lucky Stiff" is still a stage show that somebody decided to film.

For a contrast, check out "How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song" (2012), which won the audience award at the Phoenix Film Festival. It is an example of how to do a modern musical in motion-picture format.

"Lucky Stiff" is about Harry Witherspoon, a down-on-his-luck English shoe salesman played by Dominic March in his film debut. March is a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company with a couple of BBC television shows under his belt.

Harry receives a telegram saying that he stands to inherit $6 million from an American uncle he never met. Of course, there is a big catch: To get the money, he must take his dead Uncle Anthony (Don Amendolia) on a dream trip to Monte Carlo. If he fails to comply with any of the detailed instructions, the money instead will go to the uncle's favorite charity.

Yes, it's "Weekend at Bernie's" goes to Europe!

I would have loved to see the same cast perform "Lucky Stiff" on stage. As a movie, however, it likely will be remembered as the late Dennis Farina's last film. Farina ("Law & Order," "Get Shorty") died from a pulmonary embolism in 2013. In "Lucky Stiff," Farina plays the mysterious Luigi, who always seems to turn up in key situations.

Dominic Marsh will inherit six million dollars from his uncle if he signs an acceptance and carries out the terms of the will. He does so and discovers he must take his uncle's corpse on a trip to Monte Carlo, pursued by Nikki James (the representative of the backup heirs, a Brooklyn dog shelter) and Pamela Shaw, his uncle's lover who shot him -- accidentally. The result is a fast-paced, overplotted and mechanical musical filled with solid professionals and awful songs

I don't blame the actors, nor the camera department. There is some nice camera-work and some of the actors have proved themselves adept on stage and screen. Nonetheless, the songs are almost all pure, simple character exposition, like recitative in an opera, in which the juveniles, for example, establish their positions, one liking dogs, one disliking them; other songs include them trying to cover up their feelings by finding obvious rhymes for "nice" to not discuss their lovemaking.

There is one good musical number towards the end, an expressionistic nightmare song induced by alcohol and the corpse's disappearance. By then, however, I had lost interest and was hanging around the theater to see if I had guessed the plot twists. Alas, I had.

Jason alexander from seinfeld and dennis farina from burglar, get shorty, midnight run. Brit actor dominic marsh is harry witherspoon, who inherits tons of money from his uncle. But to get it, he must do some crazy things! And he's up against rita, who also wants that money. Which might have been embezzled. And we're not quite sure what luigi is up to. Harry meets him and his entourage on the train to monte carlo. Will harry ever get to monte carlo? And will he inherit the six million dollars? And... it's a musical. With great numbers like "it's fun to be alive" and "lucky stiff". It's goofy and silly. Some weekend at bernie's going on. Every time they shoot someone, the killer sings a song! Some animation mixed in here and there, with the live action. The songs are quite inane. But the story moves along, and while it ain't no shakespeare, it's really not so bad. Small role for juliet mills, who was the nanny! Directed by christopher ashley. Novel by michael butterworth. Looks like farina's last film.

Tho many will not consider this a good film, it is very enjoyable if you just sit back, relax and have some fun. Do not compare it to other great musicals - just enjoy it for the 78 minutes it on screen. Though not a perfect adaption of the off-Broadway musical, it is at least a capture of the show. A number of musicals get lost in history, but some people do decide to preserve these little shows. Like The Last Five Years and The Fantasticks they are captured forever on film and if someone asks 'what's that show about' or 'what's that song from' you can will always be able to show them something. It's not an Oscar winner but it's a nice way to spend an afternoon.