She’s been around for nearly 50 years with no nudity. This time she came sorta close.
Why didn’t I introduce the movie, as I usually do? Because it’s an embarassment to everyone associated with it. The name wasn’t familiar to me, and when I saw it was directed by the great Louis Malle, in between Atlantic City and Au Revoir Les Infants, I thought, “I wonder why I don’t remember it.” Then I saw that the cast included some top people like Donald Sutherland and Sean Penn, and I was even more curious. Finally, I read that this was to be John Belushi’s next film. So I had to watch it.
Oh, it’s bad. Not just mediocre, but unwatchable. It scores a perfect 0% on the Tomato Meter, as it richly deserves. (33% on the Popcorn Meter, 5.2 at IMDb)
Reduced to minding the counter at a crusty pawn shop, Weslake stumbles onto a scheme by some disgruntled misfit clients to rob the place. Rather than blow the whistle, however, he insinuates himself as the heist’s mastermind.
I don’t know why Louis Malle took on this project. I think it is supposed to be a comedy heist picture, so maybe he was trying to show that he could do comedy, but he just didn’t have the timing for it. It has zero energy, so Belushi would have helped, but it could have added Belushi, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and Roger Fucking Rabbit, then given them all access to unlimited cocaine, and the thing still would have dragged.
But I admit that Christine Baranski is a lot sexier than I thought. So there’s that.
Do you think Malle asked Baranski to get nekkid and she refused? Was she in a position to say no? I mean, was she a big enough actress at the time to say no and not get replaced for refusing to strip down?
She’d only done two films prior to this one….played a nymphomaniac in “Lovesick” prior to this one.
It’s an alright film though it is really a remake of “Big Deal on Madonna Street” as it would later be remade (again) by the Russo Brothers in their debut film “Welcome to Collinwood” with William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Patricia Guzman, and an appearance from George Clooney.