Once Upon A Crime

All you want to know about Once Upon A Crime

Once Upon a Crime...

The cover for Once Upon a Crime...
Directed by Eugene Levy
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Written by Rodolfo Sonego
Giorgio Arlorio
Stefano Strucchi
Luciano Vincenzoni
Charles Shyer
Nancy Meyers
Steve Kluger
Starring John Candy
James Belushi
Cybill Shepherd
Sean Young
Richard Lewis
Ornella Muti
Giancarlo Giannini
and
George Hamilton
Music by Richard Gibbs
Distributed by MGM Pictures
Release date(s) March 6, 1992
Running time 94 min.
Language English

Once Upon A Crime is a 1992 ensemble comedy starring, among others; Richard Lewis, John Candy, Jim Belushi, Cybill Shepherd and Ornella Muti. The film was directed by Eugene Levy.

Contents

Plot

The plot revolves around a series of couples in Monte Carlo, Monaco. John Candy is a reformed gambler whose wife Ornella Muti (playing a similar character to her role in Oscar) is concluding a business deal, Jim Belushi is a gambler looking to strike it big and whose wife Cybil Shepherd is hoping to buy some designer clothes. Richard Lewis and Sean Young met each other in Rome and are attempting to return a dachshund to the wealthy Madam Van Dougan.

Madam Van Dougan is found murdered and the interactions between Lewis and Young and the other couples begin to look increasingly suspicious, as a police inspector (Giancarlo Giannini) needs to unravel the clues. Over the course of the film, Candy returns to gambling, Muti has an affair and Lewis sells and repurchases the dog.

The film is often described as having "A chaotic screenplay, which results in everyone needing to shout at each other all the time". The plot is fast-moving and often involves frantic wisecracking from all the principal characters. A memorable example is Lewis being asked by Giannini to "look at this man's face" (the man being a witness). Lewis takes one look at the strangely-featured man and screams. Later, Candy is requested to provide an alibi for the crime which took place "Between one and one-thirty in the morning". His alibi is that he was making love to his wife, and he can be certain because "Her screams of pleasure woke up the street and someone cried out...'It's between one and one-thirty in the morning! Give that poor woman a break!'" Lewis' customary dry humour is ever-present, including his description of himself and Young as "Julian Peters and Phoebe? We sound like a high-wire act!"

There are some elements of physical comedy, including the facial expressions of the characters as the contents of a suitcase are revealed. A striking example, however, is John Candy's re-enactment of how he crept from room to room of a hotel at night.

Reception

Janet Maslin gave the film a negative review in the New York Times, saying it was not funny, and adding "As a general rule, films whose plots revolve around lost dogs are apt to be short on comic inspiration, and this one is no exception."[1]

Inspirations

In 2006, Abbas-Mustan known for directing thriller movies in Bollywood, adapted this movie as 36 China Town starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.

References

  1. ^ "Once Upon A Crime: Lost Dachshund and Other Complications," Janet Maslin, The New York Times, March 7, 1992
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Crime"

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