The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)

A vulgar private detective is hired to find a missing groupie and is drawn into a mystery involving a series of murders tied to the music industry.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Daniel Waters (screenplay), James Cappe (screenplay)

Stars:

Andrew Dice Clay, Lauren Holly, Wayne Newton

5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Dice Clay	...	Ford Fairlane
Wayne Newton	...	Julian Grendel
Priscilla Presley	...	Colleen Sutton
Morris Day	...	Don Cleveland
Lauren Holly	...	Jazz
Maddie Corman	...	Zuzu Petals
Gilbert Gottfried	...	Johnny Crunch
David Patrick Kelly	...	Sam
Brandon Call	...	The Kid
Robert Englund	...	Smiley
Ed O'Neill	...	Lt. Amos
Vince Neil	...	Bobby Black
Sheila E.	...	Club Singer
David Arnott	...	Club Guy
Mark Goldstein	...	Club Guy

Storyline

Ford "Mr. Rock n' Roll Detective" Fairlane is experiencing problems, and it's not with the opposite sex. One of them is that all the rock stars pay him with drum sticks, koala bears, food processors and bicycle shorts. Another one of them is that all his employers that want him to find a girl named Zuzu Petals get killed. Why didn't he become a fisherman's detective instead? A must-see for Andrew Dice Clay fans.

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Plot Keywords:

music industry | private detective | record executive | record company | cover up | 

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Taglines:

Kojak. Columbo. Dirty Harry. Wimps.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Music | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ford Fairlane

Filming Locations:

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,374,391, 15 July 1990

Gross USA:

$21,413,502

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,413,502

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ford's "girl Friday" is named Jazz. In the recording studio scene is an 80's flat-topped comedian, whose actual name is Jaz Kaner.

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Goofs

Johnny tells Ford to meet him at the radio station at 6:00 p.m. When Ford parks outside the station, the sky is dark. As we learn later in the film, the story is taking place in late July. Sunset in Los Angeles in late July is about 8:00 p.m., so it shouldn't have been dark yet.

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Quotes

Smiley: Alright... If that's the way you want it.

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Connections

Referenced in Whatever It Takes (1998)

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Soundtracks

Unbelievable
(uncredited)
Performed by Yello

User Reviews

Very, very, very funny film

This movie always cracks me up. I should note that I'm SO not a fan of Andrew "Dice" Clay, I think his stand-up shows suck, big time. But here, he's simply fantastic as Ford Fairlane, the Rock'n Roll Detective, who mostly gets paid in the form of gifts or memorabilia.

Dice's jokes here work perfectly each time, one quotable line after another ("so many assholes, so few bullets", "you're a poet and didn't know it", "talking with Zuzu is like ************ with a cheese-grinder, slightly enjoyable but mostly painful" to name a few). The film never takes itself seriously, yet somehow keeps it from ever going into slapstick territory.

Supporting actors do well also, Presly is always a stunner, Wayne Newton gives his best ever performance as Fairlane's nemesis and Ed O'Neill is a riot as a former disco singer turned detective. Robert Englund gives a rather amusing performance as a very inept crook who's ultimate fate is nothing short of hilarious.

Finnish director Harlin directs with a sure hand, everything in the technical department in tip top shape and it's very visually stylish at times. The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is definitely not for everyone, but it's not only for die hard Clay fans, since I sure as hell ain't one of them. But I think he's perfect here and the film is very funny and comes highly recommended by me.