 | Even the dachshund couldn't save it |
One thing's for sure. The dachshund needed more screen time. Definitely, lots more screen time. At least the movie would have had something fun to watch that way. But as it stands now, this movie deserves nothing more than the Pooper Scooper Award.
While in Europe, ditzy Phoebe (Sean Young) finds a dachshund who she chases away at first and then realizes there's a hefty reward for this pup. She tracks down the dog who is now with the annoyingly neurotic, unemployed actor Julian (Richard Lewis). Together these two misfits form an alliance to return the pup to his owner in Monte Carlo and claim the reward.
Chaos ensues onboard the train when Julian sells the dog to the gambling addict Augie Morosco (John Candy) but Phoebe and Julian again become in possession of the dog.
Once the train stops in Monte Carlo, an Ugly American (Jim Belushi) and his beautiful wife (Cybil Shepherd) become involved with Augie Morosco's gambling addiction and are sucked in.
Meanwhile, Phoebe and Julian go to the dog owner's mansion around midnight to return the pup and what do they find? A woman's body, of course!
So who killed the dog's owner? Was it really Phoebe or Julian? Or was it the Ugly American and his wife, or the gambler, or maybe it was the gigolo (George Hamilton) who was seen in the woman's garden late at night.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't care who killed the woman, and it turned out to be a vast contrivance anyhow, so why should I care? This film could possibly have had lots of honest laughs in it but there were really none to be found.
Director Eugene Levy missed the mark all the way around. He needs to study timing and pacing and story and chemistry in such mad romp comedies as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Not rated by MPAA (Motion Picture Assoiciation of America.
My personal raiing: C-
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