Finders Keepers

I first saw this at a Drive-In. It made me laugh so hard that I fell to the floor. As a 6'3" driver, slipping beneath the steering wheel, this was no minor accomplishmen (nor was disentangling myself and escaping so i could sit up again). I felt the movie delivered one pleasant surprise after another, presenting unpredictable and hilarious situations. The pace seemed to start deliberately slow so that it could steadily build. What some considered uneven pacing stuck me as a gift that allowed me to occasionally catch my breath. Now, if it would only be released on DVD!

Richard Lester is one of the great comedy directors, but amidst the brilliance there was always this sloppy, cheap-feeling shlockiness peeking out from underneath, balanced out because it was still often funny.

Finders Keepers magnifies Lester's worst tendencies without the counterbalancing humor. Not only isn't the movie funny, but often I couldn't figure out why the movie expected us to find it funny. The movie seems to think Beverly D'Angelo calling everyone she meets by a slur for gay people funny, but even if you don't apply modern social norms to an ancient movie, it's just not funny.

I watched the first half hour, and then, since some people claim it gets better towards the end, I watched the last 20 minutes. It's basically a bad 80s comedy with forced silliness (an angry mob of roller derby women) and unconvincing sex (woman pulls a gun on the protagonist then takes a bath with him).

Richard Lester made a lot of terrific movies. This wasn't one of them.

This is the kind of 80s comedy in the same vein as many 80s farcical comedies. OKeefe plays his part like he did in Caddyshack, Beverly D'Angelos plays a very spunky, mouthy blonde, opposite of the mother character in all the Vacation movies, but she still cute and adorable. Louis Gossett Jr shows up halfway through the movie and is there to the end.

The story, set around 1972, isnt bad, it moves along and is never boring. There are some funny scenes and some funny dialogue. However the utterly farcical and slapstick type ending kinda ruins the movie, somehow we are supposed to believe Louis Gosset Jrs character doesnt know where the brake peddle is, but hey, its a comedy its needs a light hearted end to this "crime" story.

Ive been a mission to watch as many "bad" movies as I can, and found a site dedicated to forgotten movies, good or bad. This was one of them, but I didnt think it was bad at all. However, looking through all the reviews, people are fiercely divided, they seem to love it or hate it, and in the end, maybe their were more haters in the critics circle and by whomever distributed it. CBS owned (owns) it, so Im surprised I never caught this on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon when TVs were still built with tubes.

Despite a fairly well-known cast, this one never made too many waves. I recommend you give it a try, however, in the interest of having a very good time. Even more mistaken identities, boomeranging cons, and wild coincidences that you ever thought you'd see punctuate this slambang farce, but the tone is so wifty and lighthearted you never lose faith. Great lead performances by O'Keefe, Gossett, and D'Angelo are teamed with great supporting performances by Dennehy, Lauter, and an early one by Jim Carrey. The funniest one of all, however, is David Wayne as the oldest conductor in America. Do yourself a favor and see this.

I managed to catch this on TV several years ago and haven't seen hide nor hair of it since. This is a shame because it is quite funny and full of Richard Lester's trademark humor. As with most films about con men (and women), a simple description of the plot would be anything but, but suffice to say Lester and his cast do an admirable job of keeping all the balls in the air for most of the film's running time. Watch for Jim Carrey in an early role as the dim-witted draft dodger.

"Finders Keepers" won't solve world peace, but it's good escapist fun and an excellent antidote for Lester's sub-par "Superman III."