Ryder P.I.

Ironically, starring comic David Hawthorne, the sleepy-eyed "moron" who, a decade later, as a restaurant bartender, served a heartbroken Jack Nicholson a glass of "the last free drug" in AS GOOD AS IT GETS... he throws in a Jack imitation along with a bagful of quick quips and a thin plot-line for RYDER P. I., a Humphrey Bogart Era Film Noir parody that, surprisingly, keeps up the entertainment value alongside the feeling of, "How much worse can this get?"

Hawthorne is comfortable in front of the camera despite being uncomfortable to look at - but that seems an intentional thread of the overall punchline: he's the antithesis of any sort of leading man on-screen persona. So some local help was obviously needed...

At that time, in 1986, Howard Stern was climbing as a New York morning radio talkshow host. Random scenes as a television newscaster aren't that funny because Howard's not doing his own thing, or poking fun at his crew. And yet the aggression and annoyance does feel genuine: his character, Ben Wah, can't stand the network he's on, and obviously Stern felt the same about this project. And he's not alone. Not completely...

His writer, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, provides the voice of a "Fat Eddie" doll that, when Hawthorne's P. I. character, Skylar Ryder, pulls a string, it unloads insults, each ending with Martling's chortle that'd soon become famous within the Stern universe...

But what makes RYDER easy viewing on the eye is b-starlet Frances Raines, who isn't blood related-to but is technically a relative of THE INVISIBLE MAN Claude Raines. Her vulnerable, girl-next-door beauty, seeking the titular snoop for protection from a woodwork of goons, makes this trainwreck worth watching. Plus, she appears during the midway point when desperately needed...

The worst of the cast is Ryder's hairbrained partner, overacting "the retard" to the hilt and almost forcing the viewer to either change the channel or destroy their television...

For those brave or patient enough, or in this case, who pay by the month, Amazon Prime members can stream this extremely low budget comedy. And for fans of the classic era Howard Stern it's a rare gem to behold, or rather, to survive: There's a feeling of bizarre accomplishment lasting through these kind of movies that aren't really movies...

Added to that, RYDER doesn't have a cult following to join the ranks of worthy Camp Schlock unlike a couple others we'll review in the future starring Frances Raines... Stay tuned.

I legitimately enjoyed this flick. It's so ridiculous that it's funny. The lead female is gorgeous; there's no way she'd fall for the lead detective character in real life unless he was rich. He looks like he's about two cigarettes away from a stroke. Ryder spends his days drinking, smoking cigarettes and riding around in his car. The one piece of detective work he dors is outrageously inept. This script seems like it was written by a room full of monkeys chained to typewriters. Yet, it's strangely appealing. I loved the half-baked celebrity impressions. Like the Dirty Harry looking cop who keeps pointing his 44 magnum at everyone. The Howard Stern anchorman character is great too. Why would they continue to put him on the air? Check this one out if you appreciate a little nonsense now and then.

The only reason this is worth a look is the Howard stern scenes,now i know why he never mentions this movie on his show,its so lame it makes attack of the killer tomatoes look like gone with the wind,Pu it stinks.its inept,silly and not even funny,the DVD version is worth watching for the Howard stern out takes,i believe stern did this during his stint at wnbc.in this he plays a newscaster,its an extended cameo. the other actors are unknowns,on the DVD box it says with 60 nationally known comedians???well the guy who does the Ralph cramdon imitations is pretty good.i only recommend this to Howard stern fans,like myself. if he was'nt in it,i would've avoided it .i out of 10. p.u it stinks.

With dozens of NY comedians in nearly every role (including Howard Sterns screen debut) the detective spoof is merely a format for a never ending zanyness unseen on screen since Abbott & Costello or Seinfeld - where every single character that appears is in some way totally nuts. Even Zippy the chimp jumps in the window. You really come to like the two stars Dave Hawthorne and Bob Nelson who hold this roller coaster together like all the great comedy teams of the golden age of Hollywood. Why this film is such a secret is beyond me. Includes Stern outtakes.

I read the only review for this movie and it sounded like this was one of the all time movie greats. I don't know what kind of comedy other people enjoy but the key word here is "comedy". There was none! Even with a cast of unknowns you'd think you'd get a chuckle from someone, even if it was the monkey. But I never laughed once during the entire movie....heck, I never even smiled! The acting was forced and fake and the "jokes" were painful. The lead actor even got caught looking at the camera in one scene. I don't recall a movie that I've ever seen that I would say was worse than this. And folks, I've seen "The Postman"! The ONLY reason to even keep this DVD is to watch the Howard Stern out-takes which were funny. Buy it? No. Rent it? No. Borrow it for the out-takes and don't even bother playing the movie. Can you give less than a zero? If not then score this one a ZERO!