Review of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) by Mike W — 11 Sep 2008
A wacky film from the team of Reiner and Martin (they also made The Jerk and The Man With Two Brains), that's not quite as good as The Jerk, but it still holds up as one of Steve's better comedies.
He plays a detective in a film noir-type setting, who must solve a case for a hot dame. Much of the film is interspersed with old clips of other movies, and Martin interacts with actors such as Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis (to much comedic effect).
There's one scene where Martin dresses in drag in order to seduce Fred MacMurray (from Double Endemnity), and another where he dresses in drag to pose as (from White Heat) James Cagney's mother.
Some of the gags are a little stale (pouring a whole bag of coffee into a pot...slowly), but even while it's not being funny, it's still interesting to see how they fit all the cut-scenes together.
The plot is kind of silly, but I think all those "detective helps out a dame in need" movies were.
This review of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) was written by Mike W on 11 Sep 2008.
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid has generally received positive reviews.
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