Search - Once Upon a Crime on DVD

Enjoyable,

Michael F. Ferguson | Honolulu, Hawaii | 11/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been eagerly awaiting word that this was to be released on DVD...what a cast! John Candy, Jimmy Belushi, Cybill Shepherd, Sean Young, Richard Lewis, George Hamilton (his best comedy role), the great Giancarlo Giannini, even a humorous turn by the director, Eugene Levy (Candy's buddy from SCTV) as a casino cage manager! This one harkens back to the screwball comedies of the forties, and is a real joy. It's a comedic crime caper that unfolds in romantic Rome and exciting Monte Carlo, with loveable characters scrambling to avoid suspicion and arrest by the suitably weighted (yet hilarious) Giannini as "Inspector Bonnard"...and who'd have thought Richard Lewis would hold his own as Sean Young's love interest? As a feuding American couple, Shepherd & Belushi are priceless, as they rediscover their love, by discovering they have larceny in their hearts; and in the end, we finally learn who the real culprits are in one of those "gather all the suspects together in one room and reveal the murderer" scenes (always fun!)...can't tell from the info, but the DVD's "extras" will be probably be few, the picture and sound will be good to very good (MGM puts out good transfers, normally), but unfortunately, it looks like this small gem is not going to get the widescreen treatment it deserves...why a studio EVER releases anything in Pan & Scan is beyond me. But hey, at least it's available, and that's great news for those of us who love this film...and those of you who will now have the joy of discovering it!"

Crime romp stolen by a dog

Deborah A. O'reilly | Thornbury, Victoria Australia | 10/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a funny movie and the actors like John Candy and James Belushi carry off this light hearted farce with style and wit. But what cinched this movie for me and has made it one of my all time favourites, is the star, a minature red dachshund! This little fellow leaves all the humans in the outer. He is the real star. For everyone who loves the weiner this movie is up there with Disney's Ugly Dachshund. Oh and Monte Carlo and the Riviera setting is quite nice too."

American tourists in France...need I say more?

Jessica Lux | Rosamond, CA | 05/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once Upon a Crime is one of the great comedic crime capers of the 1980's and early 1990's. The cast is comprised of many of the comedy heavyweights of the era, the plot is both plausible and silly, and twists abound.

The crime is the murder of rich, elderly Monte Carlo resident Madame Van Dugen. A cast of Americans get mixed up in the plot and all become suspects under the intense scrutiny of the police inspector, played by Giancarlo Giannini. Sean Young plays a jilted lover trying to make it on her own in Rome. Richard Lewis is an unemployed actor who is reluctantly paired with Young when they find Madame Van Dugen's missing dachshund, Napoleon. John Candy is a gambling addict willing to pay thousands for the dog as a present to his wife. Jim Belushi and Cybill Shepard play an unhappily married couple visiting Europe for business and pleasure.

George Hamilton is priceless as the local gigolo. Throughout the movie, the American tourists stumble over themselves, telling lies for no reason and digging themselves deeper in a hole with the French police inspector. In a stunning climax, the inspector gathers them all in one room and gets them to expose the truth about the night Madame Van Dugen was murdered.

Once Upon a Crime is a delicious comedy full of laughs. The movie should be celebrated for the cast performances and its homage to classic European crime capers.
"

Not bad crime comedy

LGwriter | Astoria, N.Y. United States | 10/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is light bouncy fare, but that doesn't mean it's no good. In fact, it's funny and even has some romance in it. Only reason there's three stars here is because it's so light and frothy. But the actors all do a fine job and this being Eugene Levy's directorial debut (1992), give the man some credit. (He also shows up in the film as a sneering casino cashier).

On hand for the highjinks (or is that hijinks? I never did know) are John Candy, Jim Belushi, Cybill Sheperd, Sean Young, Richard Lewis (with his trademark shrugging brand of hilarious comedy), Giancarlo Giannini, and George Hamilton as, of course, the "tan guy". Some bits are definitely funnier than others, but overall this is a nifty romp with some real giggles and a couple of guffaws. In Rome, a dead body is discovered in a garage by an unemployed actor (Lewis) and a not-too-well-off tourist (Young) and soon the local polizia link the murder as well to Belushi and Sheperd, as well as Candy.

Pivotal in these shenanigans is Napoleon the dachshund. But hey, don't take my word for it. See it for yourself. The script is thankfully not stupid at all and everybody has fun with it.

Nicely done."