Trenchcoat

Once upon a time, people knew who they were. Some were mechanics, some were politicians, some were writers.

Since about 1980, the real writers have been removed so that the rich tea party families could "write on the side".

That's why we had so many "situational tea party type Miss Marple comic murder mysteries", comic fantasies purely going with formula.

There is no "writing" here. It is formula stage play. It is a mixture of "Romancing the Stone", "Miss Marple", and virtually every stage comedy one has ever seen.

Then again, all good cinema begins as good stage plays, so you have at least a mediocre movie here.

What helps here is great casting. Margot Kidder is a bit like Lois Lane here, only more likable. She shows that comedy is her forte, and the role seems to have been written specifically for her.

This is probably what Kidder should always have done. The rest of the cast is also splendid.

In a formula film like this, casting makes a big difference. It's lightly likable, with the cast pulling it up over the 5/10 mark.

If you liked Margot Kidder as Lois Lane in Superman - and Robert Hays in Airplane - you'll like them together in a charming, funny, well-plotted mystery set in Malta.

The movie does have some twists and turns - and suspense and danger for Kidder's character - but at no point does it cause one to forget that this is a captivating fun film with two lead actors who really like each other - the romance seems very natural.

Kidder and Hays are also so good looking! :) If you liked Romancing the Stone and its sequel - you'll like this - it's VERY similar in premise - equally charming - but Robert Hays and Margot Kidder are more easy going, less intense than Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

Wanna be writer Mickey Raymond (Margot Kidder) heads to Malta to work on her first mystery novel. Along the way she meets smarmy cheap jewelry salesman Terry (Robert Hays). While on a tour, she picks up some postcards that have a top secret map hidden in them and becomes the target of various spies. Double and triple crosses ensue with plenty of hijinks. Notice I didn't say "hilarious hijinks" there. Despite the best efforts of the two leads, this is pretty rough stuff. Obviously I pulled it out because of Kidder's passing and she shows her charm in this. The problem is it can't carry the bad script by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. I legit think they went to see the Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn classic Foul Play (1978) and walked out saying, "We can do that!" This is so similar that they have the same composer, Charles Fox, and he appears to be ripping off his own Foul Play score. Director Michael Tuchner had done some great thrillers before this (Villain and Fear is the Key), but it all falls flat here. Well, at least I got to fulfill my life's dream of seeing Ronald Lacey (the melting bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark) in drag.

I can't understand why this movie has such a low User Rating. I enjoyed it thoroughly the first time I saw it and have seen it again several times with no loss of pleasure. Perhaps some viewers failed to realize that this is not a serious thriller but a tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy in disguise. Taken on these terms it's a lot of fun.

The descriptors "simple" and "uninspired" apply to both this film and its title. It's the story of a stenographer who flies to Malta to write a mystery noir novel during her two week vacation. While there, she inadvertently comes into contact with nefarious elements.

Unfortunately, "Trenchcoat" has no charm, no intrigue, no artistic value. Margot Kidder--playing the wannabe writer--looks like she is doing a walk-through. Reportedly she did not get along with the director.

The direction and everything else about the film feels amateurish. The only thing that could make it worse would be a laugh track. The main problem is the script, which offers very little that is original. Its main approach seems to be putting the "heroine" in dangerous circumstances and having her lament that no one believes her. Not funny, unless maybe the actress is someone who is intrinsically funny.

Avoid this stinker.