Tom Hanks is Richard, the title character, a classical musician / ordinary guy randomly selected from a crowd at an airport. He's intended to be the bait in an ongoing battle between competing C. I. A. Factions. Cooper (Dabney Coleman, perfectly slimy) is out to nab top dog Ross' (Charles Durning) job, and he subsequently takes the bait, leading to various farcical situations and an eventual assortment of dead bodies.
An Americanized remake of the French comedy "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe", this is genuinely funny often enough to rate it as a solid - if not great - comedy. This viewer would disagree that the excellent cast is "wasted", as they definitely make the most of the material. But it's true enough that leading man Hanks doesn't get many opportunities to be funny himself. He has to be the "straight man" who must eventually react with stunned surprise when he finally realizes all the intrigue that has been going on around him. (That said, it's such a hoot when he brushes his teeth with shampoo (!) and big bubbles pop out of his mouth.)
The cast is the main reason to watch this, of course. Hanks is as affable as he's ever been. The luscious Lori Singer is effective as a seductive spy who ultimately finds that she's falling for the ordinary guy. Durning and Coleman are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the steady parade of familiar faces here: Carrie Fisher (hilarious as the oversexed Paula, who's hot for Richard), Jim Belushi (priceless as her flustered husband), Edward Herrmann, Irving Metzman, Tom Noonan, Gerrit Graham, David L. Lander, Ritch Brinkley, David Ogden Stiers, Julius Carry, Art LaFleur, George Martin, and Charles Levin.
Hanks and Fisher figure in one of the most deliciously ridiculous bits of business, as she likes to play "Tarzan & Jane" during sexual escapades.
This is well-paced, fun nonsense that ends up leading into some decent-enough action sequences, and a fair-sized body count.
Seven out of 10.
An Americanized remake of the French comedy "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe", this is genuinely funny often enough to rate it as a solid - if not great - comedy. This viewer would disagree that the excellent cast is "wasted", as they definitely make the most of the material. But it's true enough that leading man Hanks doesn't get many opportunities to be funny himself. He has to be the "straight man" who must eventually react with stunned surprise when he finally realizes all the intrigue that has been going on around him. (That said, it's such a hoot when he brushes his teeth with shampoo (!) and big bubbles pop out of his mouth.)
The cast is the main reason to watch this, of course. Hanks is as affable as he's ever been. The luscious Lori Singer is effective as a seductive spy who ultimately finds that she's falling for the ordinary guy. Durning and Coleman are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the steady parade of familiar faces here: Carrie Fisher (hilarious as the oversexed Paula, who's hot for Richard), Jim Belushi (priceless as her flustered husband), Edward Herrmann, Irving Metzman, Tom Noonan, Gerrit Graham, David L. Lander, Ritch Brinkley, David Ogden Stiers, Julius Carry, Art LaFleur, George Martin, and Charles Levin.
Hanks and Fisher figure in one of the most deliciously ridiculous bits of business, as she likes to play "Tarzan & Jane" during sexual escapades.
This is well-paced, fun nonsense that ends up leading into some decent-enough action sequences, and a fair-sized body count.
Seven out of 10.