Uma Tremenda Confusão

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 ****

You can't blame Blake Edwards for making this kind of movie.

For years, he depended on the kind of pratfalls that course through "A Fine Mess" as his bread and butter, so to speak. They served the "Pink Panther" series well, and made Inspector Clouseau a world-wide reference point for the ultimate in clumsiness.

But for a movie that basically features two losers crossing the mob in a horse race then moving a piano to a rich lady's house, this film is all over the place. So many people introduced then forgotten, plot lines that go nowhere, laughs that are fun for the moment but have no context.

Shocking, really, this coming as it does from Blake Edwards, who once personified classy comedy with such works as the aforementioned "Panther" films, not to mention classics like "10", "Micki + Maude" and the under-appreciated "S.O.B.".

And with the calibre of talent, you'd expect great things; the manic Mandel, lecherous Danson, luxuriant Alonzo, and wackos like Mulligan and Margolin as mob flunkies all have the fire, but there's just nothing here to stoke the furnace.

There were separate moments here and there that gave me a smile but, like the movie itself, it just lives for the moment, then is gone.

TIDBIT - The idea for this movie actually came from a Laurel and Hardy short where Stan and Ollie try to move a huge piano up innumerable flights of stairs. Hence, the name.

It still is fitting: this movie is definitely a "Mess", if not a "Fine" one.

Three stars. Saved but for the virtue of Mulligan in the cast and a bit part for pre-"NYPD Blue" Franz.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the number of viewers whose comments generally trashed this picture, but I must admit that I'm astonished at the snobbery of some people when it comes to comedy.

Not every movie has to have an intricate plot, Oscar caliber performances, and a perfect script to be a noteworthy movie. We have movies like Citizen Kane, The Killing Fields, A Dry White Season, Rain Man ect... for that. The most important aspect of a comedy is whether or not it is genuinely funny, and there's no way one can say that this flick is not.

Just about every scene in the film is funny, physical as well as dialogue. Howie Mandel cracked me up constantly with the strange voices he used. It's vulgar in parts, and sure, the plot is weak. So what. It does it's job. Blake Edwards is a master at comedy. He never leaves me disappointed.

If you're looking for a movie that will leave you with a sore ribcage at the end, this one will do the trick. As comedies go, I'd give it an 8/10.

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.