A Fine Mess (1986)

An actor and a chef fathom a plot to fix a horse race and attempt at capitalizing it, while striving to tackle two of the hitmen responsible for the scheme.

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

The filming of the movie took place in the Los Angeles area during a hiatus when television actors, as were the film's two star leads Ted Danson and Howie Mandel, were in a break from their television schedules.

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Goofs

After Dennis punches Spence in the nose, the piano starts playing and Dennis just pushes it to turn it off - when before then, they had to use the on/off switch for the instrument.

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Quotes

Ellen Frankenthaler: Will that be check or cash?
Spence Holden: Well... how much are we talking about, here?
Ellen Frankenthaler: Ten thousand.
Spence Holden: Whoah, come on, sweetheart. That's a little high, don't you think?
Ellen Frankenthaler: I'm really not at liberty to say.
Spence Holden: Well, if YOU'RE not at liberty...
Dennis Powell: Wait a minute, wait a minute. I don't think you two are talking about the same thing.
Ellen Frankenthaler: What are you talking about?
Spence Holden: No, no. What are YOU talking about?
Ellen Frankenthaler: The piano.
[...]

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Connections

References Blotto (1930)

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Soundtracks

Easier Said Than Done
Written by William Linton and Larry Huff
Produced by Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff for Ripe Productions
Performed by Chico DeBarge

User Reviews

I thought this was actually a fine comedy.

This just shows how out of touch I am when it comes to comedies. The score for this film is only four, but I actually really enjoyed it. I thought the film was funny through the whole film for the most part and I enjoyed Howie Mandel and Ted Danson's performances in this one. Granted there were a few jokes that really did not work such as the auction where they accidentally bid on the piano, but jokes that did not work all that well were few and far between for me. The film is kind of all over the place, but it centers a bit on a horse racing doping scheme that a man overhears. He is chased and ends up placing bets on said horse. He and his friend then end up buying a piano for a large sum by accident and then proceed to sell it to a person of dubious character. The buddies are played well by two guys who were more known for television at the time in Mandel and Danson. Danson is basically just doing a variation of Sam Malone from "Cheers" in this one, but it works and I thought he was very funny. Richard Mulligan also is in this one, and once again someone who would be known for a television role. The ending was good too. Well good for me, I liked this one, but from the score here I would guess that not many share my opinion of this one. So while I enjoyed it and think it was humorous I would read the other reviews of those who did not like it all that much to get the whole picture.