PURE LUCK

(director: Nadia Tass; screenwriter: Francis Veber (film La Chevre), Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris; cinematographer: David Parker; editor: Billy Weber; music: Jonathan Sheffer ; cast: Sheila Kelley (Valerie Highsmith), Danny Glover (Ray Campanella), Martin Short (Eugene Proctor), Sam Wanamaker (Mr. Highsmith), Scott Wilson (Frank Grimes), Harry Shearer (Monosoff), Rodrigo Puebla (Fernando), Jorge Russek (Inspector Segura); Runtime: 96; MPAA Rating: PG; producers: Sean Daniel/Lance Hool; MCA Universal Home Video; 1991)

“Moronic slapstick buddy comedy.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Moronic slapstick buddy comedy. The misfire was directed by Nadia Tass (“Fatal Honeymoon”/”Matching Jack”). The writers of the limp script are Tim Harris and Herschel Weingrod. It’s a poor remake of the French farce Le Chevre by Francis Veber. Wealthy business magnate Mr. Highsmith (Sam Wanamaker) hires the renown private investigator Ray Campanella (Danny Glover) to locate his missing young adult daughter, Valerie (Sheila Kelley), on vacation in Mexico. After a month of no results, the business firm’s shrink, Monosoff (Harry Shearer), convinces Highsmith to hire his klutzy accountant Eugene Proctor (Martin Short) to go with Ray to further investigate her disappearance. The shrink reasons that both Valerie and Eugene are accident-prone and are both unlucky, and thereby he might be able to follow her trail. Short’s fans should enjoy all his pratfalls in this piffle of a film, but the one-joke comedy gets wearisome. The entire film consists of Short’s antics, and he’s not funny enough to hold our attention. But if you are a fan of his and can’t resist the comedian’s silly comic antics, you might be one of the few who enjoyed this mess.

REVIEWED ON 5/31/2016 GRADE: C