{"id":2857,"date":"2007-03-30T12:39:55","date_gmt":"2007-03-30T19:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2857"},"modified":"2021-01-17T19:57:37","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T02:57:37","slug":"foul-play-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2857","title":{"rendered":"Foul Play (1978)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Beware of the dwarf!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-25970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Poster.jpg 483w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA divorced librarian (Goldie Hawn) finds herself unwittingly caught up in a plot to assassinate the Pope.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Burgess Meredith Films<\/li>\n<li>Dudley Moore Films<\/li>\n<li>Goldie Hawn Films<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Satires and Spoofs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis comedic thriller starts out strong, introducing characters &#8212; Goldie Hawn&#8217;s wide-eyed Gloria and Chevy Chase&#8217;s clumsy detective &#8212; who are quite appealing. Unfortunately, the plot soon devolves into slapstick, with the attempts at humor becoming increasingly lame: when Gloria visits an innocent Bible-selling midget (Billy Barty) in the hospital, for instance, we&#8217;re meant to find it amusing that she mistook him for her assassin, and to laugh at the fact that he&#8217;s now scared even to be around her. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-1024x589.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-1024x589.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-1536x883.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty-470x270.png 470w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn-Barty.png 1771w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition, while Hawn&#8217;s character remains appealing throughout, Chevy Chase (in his first screen role) isn&#8217;t all that funny, and, other than his initial bumbling appearance, doesn&#8217;t make much of an impression. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-1024x594.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"371\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-1024x594.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-1536x890.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase-466x270.png 466w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Chase.png 1775w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While there are some moments of true hilarity &#8212; whenever Dudley Moore is on the screen, for instance &#8212; <em>Foul Play<\/em> is ultimately a missed opportunity. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Goldie Hawn&#8217;s appealing performance in the lead role<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-1536x860.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3-482x270.png 482w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Hawn3.png 1813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dudley Moore getting his bedroom ready for a presumed night of kinky sex with Hawn<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-1024x581.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"363\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-1536x872.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2-476x270.png 476w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-Moore2.png 1809w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of San Francisco locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-1024x591.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"369\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63979\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-1024x591.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-1536x887.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2-468x270.png 468w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Foul-Play-SF2.png 1765w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. While this comedic thriller starts out strong, it quickly becomes disappointing slapstick. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0077578\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1978\/07\/19\/archives\/screen-goldie-hawn-in-foul-playjumping-hybrid.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/4579\/foul-play#articles-reviews?articleId=70869\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/66953.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Beware of the dwarf!&#8221; Synopsis: A divorced librarian (Goldie Hawn) finds herself unwittingly caught up in a plot to assassinate the Pope. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Burgess Meredith Films Dudley Moore Films Goldie Hawn Films Murder Mystery &#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221; Romantic Comedy Satires and Spoofs Review: This comedic thriller starts out strong, introducing characters &#8212; Goldie Hawn&#8217;s wide-eyed Gloria and Chevy Chase&#8217;s clumsy detective &#8212; who are quite appealing. Unfortunately, the plot soon devolves into slapstick, with the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2857\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2857"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63986,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions\/63986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}