Partners (1982/I)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

James Burrows

Writer:

Francis Veber (written by)

Release Date:

30 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The oddest team on the squad and the funniest cops in America.

Plot:

Benson is a police detective. After a series of murders in the Gay community he is ordered to go undercover...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Homosexual | Gay Lead Character | Gay Interest | Gay Stereotype

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	Sgt. Benson
John Hurt	...	Kerwin
Kenneth McMillan	...	Chief Wilkins
Robyn Douglass	...	Jill
Jay Robinson	...	Halderstam
Denise Galik	...	Clara
Joseph R. Sicari	...	Walter
Michael McGuire	...	Monroe
Rick Jason	...	Douglas
James Remar	...	Edward K. Petersen
Jennifer Ashley	...	Secretary
Darrell Larson	...	Al
Tony March	...	Aide #2
Seamon Glass	...	Gillis
Steven Reisch	...	Counter Boy

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: Pull-down blinds in the photographer's darkroom aren't anywhere close to being able to shut out the light that would ruin film she was developing.

Quotes:

Kerwin: Have you got anything you can change into?
Benson: Why?
Kerwin: So you look sexy! Well, I mean, you're all we've got!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Celluloid Closet (1995)

One watches in a state of numb shock...

Here's a gay-themed action-comedy that even the gay community has thankfully forgotten, an appalling, tangled mess involving two male Los Angeles police detectives (one straight, one gay) posing as lovers in order to track down a killer of homosexuals. You have to commend Ryan O'Neal, he gives this one-joke affair his best shot; but poor John Hurt (the most sullen gay character ever!) sluggishly performs as if against his will. The plot is promising--it might've been a sharp satire of "Cruising" had the handling been a bit more nimble. But "Partners" has the patched-together feel of too many different hands, and the laziness of the writing and directing sinks the idea almost completely. Sniggering jokes, embarrassing and half-hearted sentiment, and a plea for the understanding of the gay minority turns this tale into one swishy stew. *1/2 from ****