Juego sucio

Likable comedy murder mystery. Gloria Mundy (Goldie Hawn) gets involved with an assassination attempt. Cop Chevy Chase is hired to protect her. There's more to the plot but that's the basics.

This is a beautiful movie--shot on location in San Francisco. The stars are likable; the script is interesting, if all little too confusing and there are many funny--and suspenseful--moments throughout. I saw this back in 1978 and loved it and it still holds up beautifully. A lot of people says this plagiarizes Hitchcock. It does a little but it's so entertaining it doesn't really matter.

Chase is good in his first film after leaving "Saturday Night Live" and Hawn is just delightful. There's also strong support from Burgess Meredith, Brian Dennehy and Dudley Moore. Also there are some beautiful shots of San Francisco all through the movie. And it starts off great with the Barry Manilow song "Ready To Take A Chance Again". Just basically a great big fun commercial film. Well worth catching. I'm only giving it a 9 because it IS a little too long.

No doubt in my mind that this is Goldie Hawn's best film. She does the dumb blonde thing brilliantly here and she has never looked better. The whole cast is good, although it is definitely very 70s in appearance, which is always a drawback!This is both funny and quite exciting. Very lighthearted and Hitchcockian, it moves along at a fast pace, and is always entertaining. The scenes with Dudley Moore and Goldie are absolutely brilliant and the villains are like those of Bond movies but adapted for screwball comedies. I don't quite know why I like this film so much. Perhaps it's because it's not available on DVD, and things always seem better when you can't have them. For any fans of Goldie out there, this is definitely the film to see, and, if it were available, to own. Can someone please release this on DVD?! For all aspiring dumb blondes, just watch Goldie's gem of a performance. And did I mention that she has never looked better....nor, possibly, has anyone else...ever.

Goldie Hawn gives a delicious comic performance as a San Francisco librarian who's been living like a hermit, encouraged by a friend to get out there and shake her pom-poms; instead, she becomes indirectly involved with a pack of nefarious criminals who plan to assassinate the Pope (!) on his visit to the Opera House. The picture has some real ringers (Dudley Moore and his apartment full of sex toys, two little old ladies playing Dirty Scrabble), but Hawn is very appealing, especially while sitting in a movie theater with her black-rimmed glasses watching a film-noir about a detective and a Chinese sailor. Chevy Chase, in his debut as a leading man following his departure from "Saturday Night Live", plays the lovestruck cop on the case and he's very green; some of his lines fall flat (especially a tasteless bit about a government official wearing make-up), however his love scenes with Goldie are low-keyed and sweet. The bungled car-chase finale is a complete waste, yet the movie is buoyed by a terrific supporting cast, including funny Billy Barty, handsome Brian Dennehy (who gets lost in the action), scene-stealing Burgess Meredith and kinky, salacious Rachel Roberts (as "Delia Darrow"). A fitfully fun time. *** from ****

GOLDIE HAWN is at her wide-eyed prettiest in this enjoyable comedy-thriller, a romp that has her trying to avoid one dangerous situation after another when she finds out that she's being stalked by killers anxious to get their hands on a roll of film she has. Her efforts lead to unraveling an assassination plot on the Pope! CHEVY CHASE is her detective boyfriend who gets caught up in the intricate plot, which leads eventually to a mad car chase through the streets of San Francisco. BURGESS MEREDITH is her friendly neighbor with a penchant for pet snakes with some funny scenes as well.

There are some really action-filled moments along the way but most of the suspense derives from wondering how Goldie will survive the various attempts on her life.

DUDLEY MOORE is memorable in a laugh-filled seduction scene where he misinterprets what Goldie is saying as she peers through the curtains of his apartment window. His attempt to seduce her in an apartment filled with sex devices is one of the film's funniest moments.

The scary parts are fun too, especially when she's being menaced by a sinister looking albino and a midget--dispatching both when the need arises. She plays the part with a vigorous wide-eyed disposition that really belies her role as a shy librarian encouraged to get out and meet people...but it's all so funny you don't care about details after awhile. Just sit back and enjoy.

The San Fransico location shots add a lot of visual interest to the tale and it's all directed at a mad pace by Colin Higgins, winding up with some wild scenes in an opera house.

Strictly for laughs, it's well worth viewing for Goldie's charming performance.

After reading the Maltin summary, I was a little afraid to rent this movie. Tasteless? I'd loved watching it as a kid on TV (I think I saw it about six times). But a lot of comedies don't make it past their decade.

Foul Play does better than most. It's the characters that make it. Imagine a feminist librarian warning Goldie Hawn about men by telling her "Really, honey, you gotta drag yourself into the seventies!"

Goldie Hawn plays her role sweetly.

The Dudley Moore slapstick didn't delight me as much as when I was a kid (it's a little broad).

The writer and director, Colin Higgins, is known for Harold and Maude. This film doesn't measure up to that one, but it still has a lot of the same touches. In particular, it's the human side of the humor. I laughed at the characters AND liked them.

Once the film leaves the characters for the action, it's not as much fun. The carchase ending drags on a bit too long.

All in all, a sweet movie. Great fun if you'd like to "drag yourself into the seventies."