A Fine Mess

This just shows how out of touch I am when it comes to comedies. The score for this film is only four, but I actually really enjoyed it. I thought the film was funny through the whole film for the most part and I enjoyed Howie Mandel and Ted Danson's performances in this one. Granted there were a few jokes that really did not work such as the auction where they accidentally bid on the piano, but jokes that did not work all that well were few and far between for me. The film is kind of all over the place, but it centers a bit on a horse racing doping scheme that a man overhears. He is chased and ends up placing bets on said horse. He and his friend then end up buying a piano for a large sum by accident and then proceed to sell it to a person of dubious character. The buddies are played well by two guys who were more known for television at the time in Mandel and Danson. Danson is basically just doing a variation of Sam Malone from "Cheers" in this one, but it works and I thought he was very funny. Richard Mulligan also is in this one, and once again someone who would be known for a television role. The ending was good too. Well good for me, I liked this one, but from the score here I would guess that not many share my opinion of this one. So while I enjoyed it and think it was humorous I would read the other reviews of those who did not like it all that much to get the whole picture.

The 1980s weren't favorable to a lot of veteran directors. With some exceptions, William Friedkin, Paul Mazursky, Robert Altman, Mel Brooks and many others suffered in this decade while trying too hard to make commercial hits. Blake Edwards is another name that comes to mind, and "A Fine Mess" is Exhibit A. The plot is superfluous. It has something to do with a doped-up racehorse, two schnooks being chased by two more schnooks, a limping Godfather and his cheating Mafia wife, a $10K player piano, and enough car chases and crashes to put "The Great Race" to shame. Why Edwards felt the need to work with TV talent like Ted Danson and Howie Mandel is beyond me, but he gets nothing out of his regulars this time, either. Is there anything worse than a stupid comedy? How about a comedy that wears its flagrant stupidity like a badge of honor? Edwards even speeds up the film to give the proceedings a live-action cartoon effect, but you can't cover up flop sweat. Blake's daughter, Jennifer Edwards, gives a nicely modulated performance as an auction house employee, though her facial expression when date Mandel eats too much spicy food in a restaurant and begins shrieking just about sums up the whole of "A Fine Mess". * from ****

"A Fine Mess" is a sloppy comedy from Blake Edwards, director of "Micki + Maude", "Victor/Victoria", "10", and the "Pink Panther" films. I first saw "A Fine Mess" at the theater with my best friend when it first came out. I was only 15 years old at the time, and we laughed our heads off. You would think that today I would find this film to be incredibly stupid. Well, I just watched it again recently, and I still laughed at this movie. That makes "A Fine Mess" a huge guilty pleasure of mine. It's about Ted Danson and Howie Mandel getting mixed up in a fixed horse race, and spend parts of the movie running from two clumsy gangsters (Richard Mulligan and Stuart Margolin) who are responsible for creating this fixed horse race on orders from their mob boss (Paul Sorvino). In the midst of this fine mess they fall in love with beauties Maria Conchita Alonso and Jennifer Edwards (Blake's daughter). This movie was no doubt an embarrassment to Edwards, Danson, Mandel, Sorvino, and especially Mulligan and Margolin. They all make total fools of themselves. But I laughed anyway. It's notable for an appearence by a pre-"NYPD Blue" Dennis Franz and a bit part by a pre-"Babe" James Cromwell. But one thing I'll always remember about "A Fine Mess" is film critic Rex Reed's thrashing of the movie on the movie review show "At the Movies" when he and co-host Bill Harris (taking over for Siskel and Ebert) were reviewing their choices for the worst movies of 1986. Reed started saying quote "Well at least part of the title is accurate. "A Fine Mess". Well it's worse than a mess. It was an all out disaster, and there's nothing fine about it." It was quite obvious that Reed gave "A Fine Mess" no stars. But I give it three stars. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. This movie does make me laugh. If you decide to watch this, remember to check your brain at the door.

*** (out of four)

I just saw this movie tonight, actually the last twenty minutes, and according to IMDb, it says that Dennis Franz is non credited, but as the credits rolled, he was in them...

It was an OK movie, and I enjoyed what I did see, and looking at the actors before they were household names was funny too.

It is a good movie for those of you who wish to just sit back and laugh at good old slapstick, and mindless entertainment.

Ted Danson is always hilarious, and found it quite funny seeing him make himself comfortable behind the bar in the mansion. His character was hilarious as the skirt chasing fool, just as his future character, Sam Malone would be in Cheers!

Cheers to all the actors who have gone on to make better and bigger movies, and shows!

My heart sinks when I see a 3.8 User Rating for this hilarious comedy. You got Danson and Mandel in their prime and Edwards behind the camera. OK, it should have been better, but there's still some of Blake's trademark slapstick we all know and love from classics like A Shot in the Dark and The Party. Richard Mulligan is a standout as a dopey hood who places his shotgun in front of his crotch before firing. The plot, if you want to call it that, has more holes than a swiss cheese convention but I was laughing so hard I didn't care.