Le flic ne porte pas de costard

'Plain Clothes' is not great comedy, though it does, at least subtly, attempt stupid humor (such as the running gags with the school announcements and the Springsteen jokes). And, as a b-comedy with a relatively unknown cast leading with Arliss Howard and Seymour Cassell (who is great, but doesn't often act in the mainstream circuit), this may be one obscure 80s comedy that could only really be best enjoyed by us fans of obscure 80s movies. Familiar, name-escaping faces, a different story, high school in the 80s, it just might have what you're looking for.

Plain Clothes is the story of a babyface young cop (Arliss Howard) who's younger brother is prime suspect in a teacher's unusual murder at his high school. Convinced that his brother is telling the truth when he claims to be innocent, the cop goes undercover as a high school student to investigate. Only, what he discovers is much more than just a murder. You have your typical 80s teen movie elements, since this does take place in a high school and our main character does pose as one of the more interesting students. Love triangles and social scuffles mixed with the suspense/action of the cop story angle. It does quite a bit of shifting and does, as another viewer commented, culminate in a rather confusing climax.

For this bit of narrative game playing and mild comedy treatment, this movie is perfect for just a certain kind of audience (if you love obscure b-80s movies) and a certain kind of day (lazy weekend noons are probably best). By the way, Max Perlich fans should not miss him in his trademark leather jacket and buzz cut when he shows up (briefly) as Carter, one of the kids who befriends the undercover cop.

This is one of the mindless dumb comedies that you know is going to be dumb. Still, it's not as bad as I expected. Question: how in the world do they not see then 34 year old Arliss Howard is a grown man? I mean, look, he goes undercover as a teen in high school but his character is supposed to be 24 years old. Even as a 24 year old he's not believable.

Still, I found myself chuckling a couple times, even cheering a bit. This came out during the 21 junpstreet era which was huge in 1988. Other than miscasting it's not really a bad movie.if you've got 90 minutes to kill and can find it, why not?

This is one of those films that I watched on a Saturday afternoon when there was nothing else on, & man, am I glad I did.

Arliss Howard plays a young detective who must go undercover at a high school in order to clear his younger brother of a murder accusation. Seems straightforward enough, but this film actually tosses in some plot twists that make the viewer have to pay attention. The movie is punctuated by its quirky sense of humour (look for the quick visual gag "Free at Last!" in Robert Stack's office!!) & a refusal to take itself seriously. Adding to the charm of this are excellent performances by Robert Stack, Suzy Amis, Diane Ladd, George Wendt, Seymour Cassel, Reginald VelJohnson, & a howlingly deadpan performance by the great Abe Vigoda!

This film will never win any awards, but the cast are solid & the script is funny. It's a tad more grown-up & far less preachy than most of the '80s pap that garnered all the attention, & if anyone's looking for a good popcorn-muncher that'll give a few good laughs, try this one on for size.

A sweet little film that's fun to watch. Arliss Howard's comedic talent is unappreciated and underestimated. He is assisted by fine veteran actors who look as if they are having a whale of a good time. The writing is surprisingly good for a low-budget flick.

I wouldn't give this movie an overall good mark, but I think in its niche it well deserves its average. To be an eighties movie it contains enough for the younger viewer to enjoy. I quite liked the small poetry incorporated. One thumb up!