My Chauffeur

Free-spirit, fast-talking Casey Meadows (Deborah Foreman) works as a lowly dishwasher. She receives a letter from wealthy benefactor Witherspoon (E.G. Marshall) hiring her as a new driver for Brentwood Limousine. Supervisor McBride (Howard Hesseman) is horrified by the change in the stuffy all-male operation. Ruthless business Battle (Sam J. Jones) is one of her clients and he gets dumped by his girlfriend.

This is a fun 80's flick. Deborah Foreman was an 80's IT girl. She is adorable doing this wide-eyed, open-hearted character. Penn and Teller do a memorable hustler and Arab sheikh combo. The drawback is mainly Sam Jones. He's not a good enough actor to dig deeper into his character but he's mostly fine. He needs to be a romantic lead but he's more of a linebacker or a villain henchman. The writing is passable for an 80's comedy. The material is elevated whenever Foreman gets to deliver a fun line.

One of several 80s comedies that reminds me of the old screwball classics of the 30s and 40s updated to the modern day with nudity and swearing. Deborah Foreman is a likable lead who gets good support from vets like Sean McClory, E.G. Marshall, and Howard Hesseman. Penn and Teller are less obnoxious than usual in their film debuts. Sam Jones plays arguably the most divisive character for modern viewers. I won't say why; you'll figure it out. Perhaps the most memorable part of the movie for many is the crazy rocker Catfight, played by Leland Crooke. He has the movie's most memorable line ("I want them panties!"). He was actually the one part of this I remembered in the thirty plus years or so gap between viewings. Nice soundtrack of songs by the band The Wigs. Never heard of them before but they did good work here. There's also a lovely violin piece that's used frequently. It almost seems out of place for a comedy but it really elevates the film.

I saw this movie as a kid many times on VHS. Then it seemed to vanish from my mind for decades until I rediscovered it. This is a real hidden gem for people of my generation and the younger set that still has a sense of humor. It's a fun movie that would probably be considered offensive to today's audience. But then again what isn't?

Quite possibly the best film ever made! Okay, maybe i'm exaggerating but it's a really fun film filled with wacky characters and that distinct LA 80's feel.

What sets this film apart is the dynamic lead performance by Deborah Foreman (where have you gone, Debbie?) In terms of comic timing and just being so damn adorable she rivals Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby (a film which My Chauffeur most resembles)

David Baierd's direction keeps things brisk and light yet there are demented touches here and there which give the film a unique off-balanced vibe.

Check this film out if you can and expect a pleasant surprise. I'll re-watch it again and again and have a blast each and every time.

This is a light-hearted, cute movie about a girl whose father works in a snobby, stuffy chauffeur company. Things quickly change as she joins, turns the company inside out, and falls in love with one of the customers.

Okay, so it's not THE best movie, but most people should like it. I give it a B+. It's got some good jokes, one-liners and a reasonable plot.

OK, so it's no epic piece of cinematic history, and sure it's a formulaic and derivative romantic comedy, but I still rank it as one of my all-time favorite films because it possesses a wonderful plot structure, engaging vignettes ("A blue lady with a blue dog! That's 20,000 points!"), well-drawn characters, witty dialog, a lot of heart and a lot of laughs - not to mention a finger-snapping, so-80s soundtrack from a seemingly never-to-be-heard-from-again band called The Wigs "My Chauffeur" is all-around well written and well realized. Watching this film, you can tell the people involved both in front of and behind the camera really put their imaginations and talents into crafting something special. Deborah Foreman is quirky-cute-cool as Casey Meadows, an aspiring limo driver who shakes up the stuffy status quo of Brentwood Limousine Company when she's hush-hush hired by its reclusive owner (E.G. Marshall). She faces the cold shoulders of all of the older male drivers, save for a paternal Irish gent (played marvelously by Sean McClory) who takes her under his wing. Sam Jones is marvelous as Battle Witherspoon, the dictatorial corporate suit who's all business and no pleasure - until he meets Foreman's Casey and slowly melts for her. The romance that ensues between them is surrounded by a wonderful cast of characters who populate the movie's tangental scenes, such as the one that features the film debut of Penn & Teller (as a con man and a Middle Eastern prince, respectively). Myself, I get a little choked up every time I see the scenes where Casey comes to the transportation rescue of a young man being berated by his girlfriend for not having a car, and where Battle finally realizes what a jerk he's been and commands his long-suffering, single-mom secretary to march down to human resources the following Monday and name her own raise. Touching, heartfelt, sincere stuff. Yeah, it's a fairy tale film filled with other little fairy tales, but that's what makes it so much fun. Even more fun: "My Chauffeur" has one of the most fall-down laughing drunk scenes I've ever seen. After Jones' character gets dumped by his girlfriend, he gets rip-roaring blotto in the back of Casey's limo. Chugging scotch, primal screaming and spewing venom he declares his freedom and commences to streak stark naked through a neighborhood park. In terms of sheer hilarity it rivals the scene in "The Money Pit" where Tom Hanks laughs himself into hysterics after the bathtub plunges through the bathroom and shatters on the first floor. It's just movie magic. As you can tell, I've seen this film a few times, and will undoubtedly see it a few more in my lifetime. But everytime I see it, there is some bittersweetness that manifests itself as the credits roll at the end as I ask myself "where are they now?"