Sunburn, coup de soleil

A forgettable easygoing romp in the rich tourist section of Mexico, this movie was hamstrung from the beginning with its insurance scam plot - not an exciting prospect. Grodin is the maverick investigator whom the head of the insurance company wants on the job even though he caused them some problems in the past. Grodin plays this sort of slack jawed throughout, to the point of annoyance. Farrah joins up as his make believe wife. This was Farrah in her prime, just post the silly Angels TV show and before she got into serious actress mode. It's her middle film in the 'S' trio - all of which bombed. She & Grodin are incompatible, in more ways than one, and the fact she does end up in bed with him feeds the fantasies of many a middle-aged males. Art Carney's a private eye employed by Grodin; he brings in the usual feisty old man humor. Joan Collins shows up as a rich, horny wife. A lot of the scenes are plain stupid, such as Grodin dressing up in a night prowler outfit for no reason, other than to appear stupid. But, since all of this takes place in hot weather, Farrah usually wears something skimpy. There's also a fairly exciting car chase in the last third, including a run-in with a bull - some of those shots looked very realistic, to the detriment of the bull.

This is one of my all time favorites. For pure entertainment value. I usually go for much more thought provoking films, but this one was fun. I saw it originally on cable many years ago. I still hear the 10cc song "I don't want to lose you. Dadda dadda da dah" and think of putting lotion on Farrah's back side while she lies with that bed sheet seductively covering her!(Which was much more enticing than actually seeing a nude scene.) With the dry comedy of Grodin, and his way of making you believe it could be you and the always likeable Art Carney I just wish I could've been there in Mexico with them. I almost became a Insurance Investigator! I wish I could find this on video. Stranded on an island, this would be one of my 5 films to keep.

I remember being very upset when Farrah left TV and started making movies. It was before VCRS and DVDS so once she was gone there was no way to see her every week. The movies that she made once she left didn't help with getting your Farrah fix. She still looked beautiful, but they didn't capture her personality the way her TV show was able to. This is a starring role for Farrah Fawcett (her second film after leaving Charlie's Angels) but it is Joan Collins who turns out to be the sexier of the two and who steals the film despite her small role. Charles Grodin is seriously miscast and makes the film hard to watch. Luckily the scenery is beautiful and so are the two women. This was the movie that made me realize how sexy Joan Collins really is. Watch her vamp it up in her Pre-Dynasty days.

A rich old man has a suspicious fatal car accident in Acapulco, and his widow wants his insurance company to pony up $5 million. What can they do? "Get me Jake Decker!" barks company bigwig Keenan Wynn. OK, they get hotshot investigator Decker to check it out, but he's played by Charles Grodin, whose self-consciously dry brand of comedy needs a script tailored to his style (like MIDNIGHT RUN, REAL LIFE, or 11 HARROWHOUSE, which he co-wrote, which explains a lot...but I digress... :-), which the routine insurance fraud plot of SUNBURN doesn't provide. What can the filmmakers do? Get Farrah Fawcett(-Majors, as she was then billed) at her most charming and dazzling, Art Carney in fine form, and a good supporting cast including Joan Collins (hilarious as a sex-crazy glamorpuss), Alejandro Rey, Seymour Cassel, John Hillerman, and brief bits by Eleanor Parker and the aforementioned Wynn. Put them in Acapulco's most beautiful locations, sprinkle in a few background tunes by 10 CC, and voila! You've made a blah crime caper into a lively, unassuming bit of fun for a lazy afternoon (or a snowy one, like the kind we've been having this week). Best sight gag: Farrah's insanely huge load of luggage (reminded me of trips with my mom). Cute seemingly off-the-cuff bit: Grodin mistaking the portrait of Collins' father for one of Lee Van Cleef. Farrah and Carney also get into a pretty good car chase that ends up in a bullring. If you stumble across this on cable and you have nothing better to do, this SUNBURN isn't painful at all!

After capturing the hearts and minds of most teen boys in America, Farrah Fawcett branched out into posters and films. Leaving behind "Charlie's Angels" and fame and fortune, Farrah embarked on her "S" trilogy. The middle installment in the trilogy was aptly titled "Sunburn"(the other two movies were called "Somebody Killed Her Husband" and "Saturn 3") and involved Miss Farrah's teaming with Charles Grodin and their ability to portray themselves as husband and wife. The reason for the elaborate ruse is to clean up a phony suicide claim. Insurance fraud has never seemed more exciting as it does here, where you can walk outside into the streets of Acapulco or slip into a million dollar chateau for a cocktail party. Speaking of posters this film has one of the best: Farrah in a one-piece that defies gravity, Grodin with a sidearm and Art Carney parachuting in on a pair of sunglasses with the ocean in the background. Oh, well, maybe you should purchase the poster instead. But if you don't wish to watch three straight Farrah Fawcett films on a summer' afternoon, pair this one up with the Mexican-set, Neo-Noir classic, "Against All Odds."