Eating Raoul (1982)

A relatively boring Los Angeles couple discover a bizarre, if not murderous way to get funding for opening a restaurant.

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel, Richard Blackburn

Stars:

Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Bartel	...	Paul Bland
Mary Woronov	...	Mary Bland
Robert Beltran	...	Raoul Mendoza
Susan Saiger	...	Doris the Dominatrix / Nurse Sally Cummings
Lynn Hobart	...	Lady Customer
Richard Paul	...	Mr. Cray - Liquor Store Owner
Mark Woods	...	Hold-up Man
John Shearin	...	Mr. Baker - the Horny Patient
Darcy Pulliam	...	Nurse Sheila
Ben Haller	...	Dewey
Roberta Spero	...	Swinger
Vernon Demetrius	...	Swinger
Arlene Harris	...	Swinger
Buster Wilson	...	Swinger
Marta Fergusson	...	Swinger

Storyline

When a Paul enters his apartment to find Mary fighting off a swinger who has gotten into the wrong apartement (and thinks that Mary is just playing hard to get) he hits the man with a frying pan, killing him. Their dreams of running a small resturant seem to be in jeopardy until they decide to dispose of the body, keep the wallet, and to advertise for other sexually oriented visitors who are summarily killed, bagged, robbed and disposed of. This goes along quite well until one night a burglar named Raoul breaks in and cuts himself in for a piece of the action.

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Plot Keywords:

swinging | restaurant | wine | black comedy | sex | 

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Taglines:

A tasty comedy of bad manners.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comiendose a Raúl

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bartel, Films Incorporated, Quartet

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 83 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Working independently, Bartel scraped together financing from family and friends and shot the film in piecemeal fashion when he could afford it.

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Goofs

When Raoul comes to the hospital to meet Mary, as she backs away from him the medical equipment is sitting atop a mechanic's rolling toolbox.

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Quotes

Sex Shop Salesman: But I'm telling you - you're gonna need a lubricant for this vibrator. Unless your date's inflatable. Ha!
Paul: For your information, I'm buying this to use as a novelty cocktail stirrer!
Sex Shop Salesman: [shouts] Sure!

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Crazy Credits

There is a credit for "Guest Electrician"

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Doggy King Commercial"
Music by Arlon Ober
Lyrics by Paul Bartel
Published by Logo Music
Performed by The Gang

User Reviews

And now, a culinary delight Julia Child never thought of...

Meet the Blands, the aptly named middle-aged square couple. He's a wine expert, she's a nurse, and they need money to finance their dream restaurant. Trouble is, they're barely making ends meet. What's worse, the apartment complex they live in is infested with swingers, back when swingers were as commonplace as yuppies are now. Mary and Paul find the answer to their problems when one of the swingers tries to put the moves on Mary in their apartment. Paul whacks him with a frying pan, killing him, and they discover the fella's carrying a lot of cash. Bingo! Light over heads! What makes this goofy premise work is the absolutely hilarious, dead-on, deadpan performances of Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov as the Blands. They don't give what you'd call comedic performances, but what they say and what they do seems funny, as they are a duo of decorum surrounded by a storm of decadence. Their performances, combined with a witty and biting (pardon the pun) script, make this an absolute delight, a must for lovers of off-beat movies.