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IMDb > Detective School Dropouts (1986)

Detective School Dropouts (1986) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
4.8/10   139 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 25% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Lorin Dreyfuss (writer)
David Landsberg (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Detective School Dropouts on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 August 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Two bumbling private detectives get themselves hired to find a missing person. They find themselves in the middle of a mob war when it turns out that the missing person is somebody the mob wants to stay missing. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Reviews:
A great, forgotten comedy more (7 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

David Landsberg ... Donald Wilson
Lorin Dreyfuss ... Paul Miller
Christian De Sica ... Carlo Lombardi
George Eastman ... Bruno Falcone
Ennio Antonelli ... Little Ricky

Valeria Golino ... Caterina
Mario Brega ... Don Lombardi
Alberto Farnese ... Don Falcone
Rik Battaglia ... Don Zanetti
Franco Angrisano ... Uncle Baba
Giancarlo Prete ... Mario Zanetti
Loris Bazzocchi ... Fredo
Lewis E. Ciannelli ... Embassy Official (as Lewis Ciannelli)
Geoffrey Copleston ... Mr. Hamelfarm
Andrea Coppola ... Airport Official
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Asilo di polizia (Italy)
Dumb Dicks
Private Detectives
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Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Telecolor)
Sound Mix:
Company:

FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful.
A great, forgotten comedy, 12 September 2003
Author: pip1991 from kansas city

I think I was ten when I first saw this movie at the theaters and I can honestly say I have never laughed so hard and uncontrollably at any film in my life. Granted, today the movie does look dated and suffers from some poor picture and sound quality (the usual product of the infamous Golan Globus guys) but I urge you to try and see beyond that. This is a small masterpiece. David Landsberg's honest but clumsy Wilson is perfectly balanced by Dreyfuss' seedy, fast-talking... uh sorry I forgot the character's name. Anyway, the movie has several well timed running gags (the hurt hand, the old lady whose pictures are always messed up, etc.) some hilarious chase sequences (my fave being a chase through a movie set), a cheesy yet quirky soundtrack and an overall sense of outrageousness. The plot is just credible enough to make the comedy work and the action sequences are well done but not lended so much weight that they distract. Landsberg and Dreyfuss (both of whom also wrote the film) have a keen sense of comic timing, and play off of each other like pros. (This film also introduced me to the Italian beauty Valeria Golina, several years before Rainman). I've seen Landsberg in the occasional supporting role on TV and in film but I've never seen Dreyfuss before or since (I've read before that he's Richard's brother and that's certainly reasonable). It's a shame these two didn't make more films, and in a way it's sad that this film didn't do better, and yet now I can officially refer to it as a forgotten, hidden treasure. Good luck finding this film on VHS, much less on DVD but if you do, check it out.

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