Fatal Instinct

I'm not sure why this has such a low rating. It really deserves some cult-revival love. Armande Assante doesn't have the straight man charisma of Leslie Nielsen, but he's still more than up for the job. The casting of Sean Young following her bizarre Cat Woman stunt in the early '90s couldn't fit her role better. A handful of jokes don't land, but most do.

If the film has any knocks, it's that there is almost too much going on at the end. Also, some of the older films being parodied like Chinatown are probably lost on some viewers.

If you're a fan of noir or neo-noir you'll probably love this, but anyone who enjoys spoofs should also give it a watch.

When a producer selects the actors and actresses for a film, it's usually in his mind what he is looking for. The selection Mr. Carl Reiner made in this film "Fatal Instinct" is nothing short of incredible. Taking a cue from the film parried here ( Fatal Attraction) from the moment it begins, you will begin laughing, so one had better have a good grip on his chair. Whoever selected straight actors or at least actors with a serious streak to do comedy knew they were trolling for gold. What they achieved is memorable in various films, like airplane and Horror Movie. In this hilarious offering, Reiner combines the works of the 1950's black/white films with modern murder venues. Armand Assante is incredible as Ned Ravine, super sleuth and lawyer. Sherilyn Fenn as Laura Lincolnberry, Kate Nelligan is Lana Ravine and Sean Young playing Lola Cain. All take the hero for a mind-bending spin and spoofs and succeed. However, the best selection for real comedy out of his element is none other than James Remar (The Warriors) , who plays, Max Shady. The outcome is fantastic. You've got to see this film for all it's humor. ***

I stumbled upon this film late one night on TV a few years ago and laughed so hard that I could barely breathe. Armand Assante plays Ned Ravine, a totally clueless cop/lawyer. He is so clueless that he doesn't see that his wife (Kate Nelligan)is having an affair with a mechanic(Christopher MacDonald), or that his secretary (Sherilyn Fenn) is deeply in love with him (She also has an abusive ex-husband that's looking for her). Into the picture comes Lola Cain(Sean Young), a woman with shoe problems (everything sticks to the bottom of it). She also wants Ned.

This film spoof "Fatal Attraction," "Basic Instinct," and every film noir movie ever made. Funny Carl Reiner film.

Ned Ravine is a cop and a lawyer. He has only lost one case--Max Shady was sent to Sam Quentin Prison and, now that he is about to be released, he wants revenge.

Ned's wife Lana is cheating on him with Frank, the mechanic. There is a $3 million insurance policy on Frank's life, and under very unique circumstances (which Lana hopes to make happen) the amount will be tripled.

Not that Ned is completely innocent. Lola needs Ned's help, and she's not wearing panties. Unlike Sharon Stone in 'Basic Instinct', she has her back to the camera when she makes this fact quite obvious to Ned.

Ned's secretary has flashbacks of her abusive relationship at the strangest times. She is quite pleasant, though, and good at her job, and otherwise seems happy.

This is what happens in the movie. How it all happens--that's what makes the movie unique. The opening resembles Film Noir, though it is in color, with a narrator and a saxophone playing. We eventually see the narrator on screen, and the man with him is getting tired of listening. Clarence Clemons, the sax player, also appears in the scene, and numerous others. In a later scene a trumpet is being played instead, by Doc Severinsen--the explanation is that Clarence is taking a break.

Many of the gags involve breaking the fourth wall, such as when two people in a park speak in Yiddish so no one will understand. Bill Cobbs plays the man who offers advice about their situation. He can understand because he saw the subtitles.

In a courtroom, Bob Uecker delivers play-by-play and Tony Randall impresses as the judge. When the court is in recess, this takes place on a playground. In another scene, putting flowers in water takes on a whole new meaning.

Numerous other jokes in the style of movies such as 'Airplane!' show up. And as in that movie, they are delivered in such a way it's not clear they are funny. Some are so obvious, but then they would never be done in an ordinary movie. Others are not so obvious. The writing is quite clever, though not all the jokes worked for me. Perhaps this is because I did not know the movies that were being parodied. I did recognize a couple of scenes from 'Fatal Attraction'. One scene involving a pet on a roller coaster made no sense to me.

I enjoy this type of movie, though some have been done better.

I'd see this movie on the shelf at the video store alot and I'd always pass it up thinking it's just a stupid cheap comedy. Boy was I wrong, I didn't think I'd like it because I thought Armand Assanti was a real serious actor and he wouldn't be funny but 5 minutes in to it when he put that hot dog in his jacket pocket I didn't stop laughing. Since then I've seen this movie so many time and I laugh just as hard as the first time. If you want a real good laugh get this one.