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Watching the Detectives (2007)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
11 September 2008 (Russia) moreTagline:
Sometimes love is stranger than fictionPlot:
A film noir buff has his life turned on end by a femme fatale with a big adventure in mind. full summary | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreUser Comments:
Watching the Detectives: screwball comedy for the 21st century moreUS TV Schedule:
| Sat. July 11 | 4:15 PM | SHOW | |||
| Fri. July 17 | 5:15 PM | SHOW | |||
| Thur. July 23 | 3:00 PM | SHOW | more |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Cillian Murphy | ... | Neil | |
| Lucy Liu | ... | Violet | |
| Jason Sudeikis | ... | Jonathan | |
| Michael Panes | ... | Lucien | |
| Callie Thorne | ... | Marcia | |
| Michael Yurchak | ... | Buddy | |
| Heather Burns | ... | Denise | |
| Mark Harelik | ... | Detective Barloe | |
| Ali Reza | ... | Detective Lowenstein | |
| Josh Pais | ... | Andy | |
| Brett Gelman | ... | Glenn | |
| Lonny Ross | ... | Eager Customer | |
| Paul Scheer | ... | Annoying Customer | |
| Richard Waddingham | ... | Dennis - Bald Giant | |
| J. T. O'Connor | ... | Bald Creep |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
Poland:90 min (DVD version) | USA:91 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishFun Stuff
Trivia:
The title of the film is taken from a 1977 Elvis Costello song, from the album "My Aim Is True". moreGoofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Violet says she doesn't have a driver's license, but she still manages to drive a car to Neil's house. However, she may have told Neil that she didn't have a driver's license just to see how he'd react, just like almost everything else she did to him. moreFAQ
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Watching the Detectives is a loving homage to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s, adopting the basic formula of Bringing up Baby, i.e. daffy broad woos uptight dork. The dork is Cillian Murphy's Neil, an esoteric video store owner obsessed with being part of the movie reality he spends so much time the passive viewer of. Along comes Lucy Liu's Violet, a moderately insane woman who doesn't need to watch movies because she is always starring in her own, and is determined to have Neil as her costar. She involves him in a string of situations reminiscent of classic movies, noir and screwball alike, while attempting to help Neil realize she's the best thing that ever happened to him The movie is pleasant, though meandering at times, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The story could have used a little stronger of an underlying plot arc to tie together the comic episodes beyond the basic premise of Liu's pursuit of Neil. This plot arc component is what made Bringing up Baby, It Happened One Night, and other classic screwball comedies so good, the laughs occurring within a tight script. Watching the Detectives' script is funny if a bit flabby, but Lucy Liu and Cillian Murphy deliver inspired performances amidst a talented supporting cast, and are able to make you forget the film's flaws and enjoy yourself.
The central message of the film is good one for all of us who spend too much time watching and not enough time making our own movies.