Eating Raoul (1982)

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

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel, Richard Blackburn

Stars:

Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, 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:

female frontal nudity | sex party | topless female nudity | bare breasts | red high heels | 

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Taglines:

Meet the Blands! They're square...They're in LOVE...AND they kill people.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edie McClurg: As Susan, a swinger in fur.

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Goofs

When Paul and Mary exit the elevator to go their apartment, the doors and carpet colors don't match those seen outside their own apartment in another shot just moments later.

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Quotes

Paul: Mary, I just killed a man.
Mary: He was a man. Now he's just a bag of garbage.

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Crazy Credits

There is a credit for "Guest Electrician"

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Cannibals in Scary Movies (2017)

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Soundtracks

Exactly Like You
Music by Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Published by Shapiro, Bernstein, and Co., Inc.
Performed by Jonathan Beres

User Reviews

Dark, voyeuristic, over-the-top, yet subtly wacky comedy

Lengthy description to describe a movie that runs less than 90 minutes, but wow, can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it. I'm sure plenty of people would find this movie dull, as it moves at a snail's pace. It is early 80s B-movie schlock, which is exactly what I liked about it. What's there not to like about a couple with zero sex drive that decides, right after killing a few people, to make their money by advertising sexual fantasies, sexually enticing people, then whacking them with a frying pan before enthusiastically emptying their wallets.

I wanted to see this movie because I knew Paul Bartel was a cult flick God, having seen his master cheese flick Death Race 2000 and his rebellious teacher role in Rock N Roll High School. Shabby dialog throughout, awful (but wonderfully so) dubbing, don't watch this movie to add points on your IQ test. The pace is rather slow throughout, yet Eating Raoul is also goofy and surrealistic. The over the top sexual innuendos and rampant sexual scenes are countered by the bizarre calmness of Mary and Paul Bland (Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel, respectively) as they take care of victim after victim. Not really a laugh out loud movie (except for the botched robbery scene and the hot tub sequence, they were freakin funny) but it will make you chuckle.

One thing that was great about this movie is that even though it was obviously an 80s cult flick, the music was, for the most part, great. It gave a cartoonish feel to large portions of the movie and added atmosphere to the strangeness that permeated throughout. The hammy manner in which the murders take place also adds to the offbeat feel of this film as there is no emphasis on violence and blood. No gruesomeness needed, for if the frying pan does the job, why not use it?

I would recommend this flick to cult movie fans but it's a lot more off kilter than anything you've ever seen. I found much of the humor to be delectably inane, and even though the pace was slow, I had a good time watching this Paul Bartel vehicle. Roles by Buck Henry, Ed Begley Jr and Don Steele (you know, the DJ guy from Rock N Roll High School and Death Race 2000) add to the zaniness of a flick that rightly could offend many but could also be found endlessly amusing, as I did.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 March 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eating Raoul

Filming Locations:

City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, 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