Era uma Vez um Crime

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.

Marilyn (Cybill Shepherd) and her husband, Neil (James Belushi) are on the train to Monte Carlo to enjoy a well-earned vacation. While they are aboard, they run into businessman Augie Morosco (John Candy) as well as Phoebe (Sean Young) and Julian (Richard Lewis). Phoebe and Julian are soon ordered to leave the train, as they have a dog with them. Surprisingly, it turns out not to be their dog, but rather a canine they found and are returning to the female owner for the reward money. When they arrive at the owner's mansion, Phoebe and Julian soon discover that the owner has been murdered. Naturally, they are afraid that they will be blamed and flee the area. Meanwhile, Marilyn and Neil are experiencing different results at the gaming tables. Through various happenstances, all of the above characters will be suspects in the murder of the little dog's owner. Will police inspector Bonnard (Giancarlo Giannini) be able to nail the correct killer?

This comedic whodunit has an adorable cast (especially the quite stunning Sean Young) and a silly-but-fun plot that keeps the viewer pondering. John Candy's scenes are too few in number for him to steal the show, yet he generates chuckles, as usual. Instead, George Hamilton, in a small role, is the one who makes ample use of his screen time to charm and delight the audience. The scenery and costumes, also, are first rate. Viewers may have to search hard to find this film at the video store or library. Those who do will be rewarded with an evening of smiles and second-guessing as the film merits are unrolled.

Two vacationing Americans returning a lost dog and two compulsive gamblers and their wives become suspects in an elaborate murder plot in this crime comedy shot on location in Rome and Monte Carlo. The film is notable as 'American Pie' actor Eugene Levy's only ever big screen directing effort and the talented cast includes Jim Belushi, Cybill Shepherd, John Candy, George Hamilton, Joss Ackland and Giancarlo Giannini as the ill-tempered detective leading the investigation. The film derives most of its energy though from the myriad of plot twists and turns throughout with the characters feeling compelled to lie to the police since the truth sounds absolutely unbelievable. This presents a curious dynamic with the characters, especially Candy, getting deeper and deeper into wilder and wilder lies that ultimately end up making him sound guiltier than the truth would have, but it is not a dynamic that is used nearly often enough with the film always aiming for laughs first and foremost. There are indeed several humorous moments that work, thanks largely to the often witty dialogue from the same screen writing team responsible for 'Private Benjamin'. The film tends to favour tiresome running gags though, such as Giannini's assistant constantly failing to light his cigarettes and Richard Lewis believing that he is a dead ringer for Al Pacino (he isn't). The pacing is quite brisk though and the lost dog at the centre of the film well-trained (and adorable), so this is a difficult film to dislike even if it constantly feels like it had the potential for more.

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.

I came across this comedy on channel TV during my usual zapping exercises. I'm too old, have seen too much, know too many movies by heart... Something caught my attention, and that was well before Sybill Sheperd put on her 'old' black dressing gown. I stayed on until the film ended, and liked it a lot.

Know what? A few days ago I was doing my zapping again, and came across a title, Once Upon a Crime, just as film credits were rolling. I thought it was a funny title, and stayed to see it what it was about. Soon I was laughing, then I discovered it was the same entertaining comedy, and stayed on until the film ended, and liked it more.

Believe me: if this comedy makes me laugh out loud three times in a second viewing, barely two months from the first, it's because it is decidedly good.