A Fine Mess (1986)

Two friends, an actor and a chef, discover a plot to fix a horse race and try to capitalize on it. But they must also deal with the two men who fixed the race, who are trying to silence ... See full summary »

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writer:

Blake Edwards

Stars:

Ted Danson, Howie Mandel, Richard Mulligan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ted Danson	...	Spence Holden
Howie Mandel	...	Dennis Powell
Richard Mulligan	...	Wayne 'Turnip' Parragella
Stuart Margolin	...	Maurice 'Binky' Drundza
Maria Conchita Alonso	...	Claudia Pazzo
Jennifer Edwards	...	Ellen Frankenthaler
Paul Sorvino	...	Tony Pazzo
Rick Ducommun	...	Wardell
Keye Luke	...	Ishimine
Ed Herlihy	...	TV Reporter
Walter Charles	...	Auctioneer
Tawny Moyer	...	Leading Lady
Emma Walton Hamilton	...	First Extra
Carrie Leigh	...	Second Extra
Sharan Lea	...	Young Girl

Storyline

Two friends, an actor and a chef, discover a plot to fix a horse race and try to capitalize on it. But they must also deal with the two men who fixed the race, who are trying to silence them. Then there's the mob boss the two guys work for, who planned the fix, and whose wife is having an affair with the actor.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | actor | piano | auction | horse race | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blake Edwards' A Fine Mess

Filming Locations:

Laird International Studio - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$6,029,824

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blake Edwards, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi V Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fourth and final of four collaborations of director Blake Edwards and actor-comedian Richard Mulligan. The films, all made and released during the 1980s, include S.O.B. (1981), A Fine Mess (1986), Micki + Maude (1984) and Trail of the Pink Panther (1982).

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Goofs

After Dennis gets into the car Spence takes from the race track, a patrol car comes by. Spence grows nervous and backs out of his parking space before Dennis can exit the car. As Spence backs out and then switches to drive, the shadow of the camera can be seen on the ground.

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Quotes

Phil: Your brother could con a leopard out of its stripes.

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Connections

Referenced in Money Talks (1997)

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Soundtracks

I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday
Written by David Bartholomew (as Dave Bartholomew), Roy Hayes & Fats Domino (as Antoine Domino)
Produced and Performed by Los Lobos
Courtesy of Slash/Warner Bros. Records

User Reviews

A big guilty pleasure

"A Fine Mess" is a sloppy comedy from Blake Edwards, director of "Micki + Maude", "Victor/Victoria", "10", and the "Pink Panther" films. I first saw "A Fine Mess" at the theater with my best friend when it first came out. I was only 15 years old at the time, and we laughed our heads off. You would think that today I would find this film to be incredibly stupid. Well, I just watched it again recently, and I still laughed at this movie. That makes "A Fine Mess" a huge guilty pleasure of mine. It's about Ted Danson and Howie Mandel getting mixed up in a fixed horse race, and spend parts of the movie running from two clumsy gangsters (Richard Mulligan and Stuart Margolin) who are responsible for creating this fixed horse race on orders from their mob boss (Paul Sorvino). In the midst of this fine mess they fall in love with beauties Maria Conchita Alonso and Jennifer Edwards (Blake's daughter). This movie was no doubt an embarrassment to Edwards, Danson, Mandel, Sorvino, and especially Mulligan and Margolin. They all make total fools of themselves. But I laughed anyway. It's notable for an appearence by a pre-"NYPD Blue" Dennis Franz and a bit part by a pre-"Babe" James Cromwell. But one thing I'll always remember about "A Fine Mess" is film critic Rex Reed's thrashing of the movie on the movie review show "At the Movies" when he and co-host Bill Harris (taking over for Siskel and Ebert) were reviewing their choices for the worst movies of 1986. Reed started saying quote "Well at least part of the title is accurate. "A Fine Mess". Well it's worse than a mess. It was an all out disaster, and there's nothing fine about it." It was quite obvious that Reed gave "A Fine Mess" no stars. But I give it three stars. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. This movie does make me laugh. If you decide to watch this, remember to check your brain at the door.

*** (out of four)