Say what you will about Chevy Chase, but there was a time when he was one of the funniest guys on TV. His performances on “Saturday Night Live”, along with all of the original ‘Not Ready for Prime Time Players’ pretty much still blows away anyone that has starred on the late night sketch show since. When Chase moved over into movies, he was a natural. Though most of his roles over the last ten years or so have been ‘bleah’ at best, he was, for a time a fairly big (and well-deserved) box-office draw. 1978 saw his first big foray into films, starring opposite Goldie Hawn in “Foul Play.” I saw the film way back when it first hit theatres (which assuredly ages me), and I laughed long and hard throughout the entire film.

Hawn starred as Gloria Mundy, a rather kooky librarian who finds herself in the middle of a huge conspiracy of murder and dwarves (that’s right… dwarves”). Her savior arrives in the guise of Chase’s Tony Carlsson, a bumbling private detective.

“Foul Play” rode the fine line between thriller and comedy, and as far as I’m concerned, delivered both with equal flair. The two stars made a great team, and I remember loving the movie when it first came out. The problem was that audiences were expecting it to be just a comedy, and though it did well at the box office, certainly didn’t light any fires. This was unfortunate, because I still consider it one of the funniest movies of the late 1970’s.

Paramount is finally giving the film a long overdue release onto DVD this week, and I for one am glad to be able to add it to my collection. The movie is great and if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend picking it up just to see Chase and Hawn when they were both still at the top of their game. The added bonus of seeing the late great Dudley Moore (Pre-“Arthur”) alone is worth watching the movie.

My only disappointment is that the DVD is devoid of any extra features, and admittedly the transfer is only so-so. I realize “Foul Play” wasn’t a huge movie and probably
doesn’t warrant the Special Edition treatment, but as a personal favorite of mine, a few interviews would have been very welcome.

Directed by: Colin Higgins
Starring: Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 11/16/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Foul Play a C.