Once Upon a Crime...

THE GOOD: Sean Young (unusually lively and appealing), Giancarlo Giannini (who gives class to the film by his mere presence), some moments of James Belushi.

THE BAD: John Candy (grating, with barely even one funny line) and George Hamilton (his aging gigolo is an even more aging stereotype).

The others fall somewhere in between.

All in all, this film is pleasant entertainment for 90 minutes, although for a film billed as a "mystery-comedy", the mystery part is largely secondary. (**1/2)

I saw this ages ago when I was younger and could never remember the title, until one day I was scrolling through John Candy's film credits on IMDb and noticed an entry named "Once Upon a Crime...". Something rang a bell and I clicked on it, and after reading the plot summary it brought back a lot of memories.

I've found it has aged pretty well despite the fact that it is not by any means a "great" comedy. It is, however, rather enjoyable and is a good riff on a Hitchcock formula of mistaken identity and worldwide thrills.

The movie has a large cast of characters, amongst them an American couple who find a woman's dog while vacationing in Europe and decide to return it to her for a reward - only to find her dead body upon arrival. From there the plot gets crazier and sillier and they go on the run after the police think they are the killers.

Kind of a mix between "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" and a lighter Hitchcock feature, this was directed by Eugene Levy and he managed to get some of his good friends - such as John Candy - to star in it. The movie is mostly engaging due to its cast, and the ending has a funny little twist that isn't totally unpredictable but also is kind of unexpected.

I'd never heard of this and just saw it on television. It's charming.

I thought George Hamilton was particularly good as an Italian gigolo -he had mastered a terrifically funny accent (among other things, he creates new syllables - as in "jump - ED" or "laugh-ED").

I had not seen Giancarlo Giannini in anything since the 1970s - and he's wonderful in the only serious part - the Monegasque (correct spelling for one from Monaco?) detective.

Sean Young throws herself into this comedic role and Richard Lewis, John Candy, Cybill Shepherd, and Jim Belushi are fine.

I do recommend this movie highly - it's light and frothy, but with many funny lines. As others have said, it has a beautiful setting - in the Hotel de Paris and Monaco in general. For whatever reason, this movie seems to be unpopular in Ohio (the two negative comments are both from Ohioans) - if you're in the other 49 states or overseas, you're sure to enjoy it.

I admit that "Once Upon a Crime" probably will not add anything to the cinematic landscape in the near future. But it's so funny. Set in Monaco, a group of unacquainted tourists (among them John Candy, Jim Belushi and Cybill Shephard) get involved in a murder plot, the answer to which may or may not be closer than they think.

If absolutely nothing else, this movie will prove that Monaco is like Las Vegas, only much more desirable in every way. And John Candy is his usual goofy self, Jim Belushi and Cybill Shephard are at each other's heels constantly, and Giancarlo Giannini plays the police chief. More or less, the whole movie is "Murder on the Orient Express" set in Monaco. I should remind you that unless you tolerate the kind of off-the-wall humor that dominated movies throughout the '80's and early '90's, you won't like "Once Upon a Crime" one bit. Otherwise, you'll have a great time.

Americans tourists vacationing in Monaco become suspects in a murder case as their dumb mistakes and attempts at cover-up make them more and more suspicious. This a great ensemble movie that makes me laugh everytime and the plot is complex enough to warrant repeat viewing.