The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

R

Released Jul 11, 1990

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

Action

Mystery & Thriller

List

25%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane (Andrew "Dice" Clay) is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch (Gilbert Gottfried) hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.

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Gonzo g

Loved this crazy silly movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Stephen D

This movie is so much fun!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/30/23

Full Review

steve d

I don't get Andrew Dice Clay and I don't get this.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ed O'Neil saved this movie from getting 2 stars. Overall, it has its funny moments... Gilbert was mildly entertaining in this. Could have been better I guess.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

loved it when I first watched it in the late 90's as a teen. Still love it, and it has aged well, as it perfectly captures the tropes of the 90s. A good nostalgia watch, and funny too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Let's educate on why the likable jerk works in the media and why The Adventures of Ford Fairlane fails on that regard. But first the story, Ford Fairlane (Andrew Dice Clay) is the womanizing "Rock n' Roll Detective" who's hired to investigate the murders of Bobby Black (Vince Neil), the lead singer of The Black Plague and his radio DJ best friend Johnny Crunch (Gilbert Gottfried). Most of the clues to the crime include a trio of CD's, answers from a groupie Zuzu Petals (Maddie Corman) and wealthy socialite Colleen Sutton (Priscilla Presley), and the name ‘Art Mooney'. The important thing about despicable comedic jerks is they have connections to something relatable, in a way that reveals their attitude toward humanity. Ford's only character traits are he loves 1950's memorabilia, he's a womanizer and he has a Brooklyn greaser parlance. On top of everything else, Andrew Dice Clay's lines are mostly shock and insult comedy, which got really old really fast. Another problem may be Renny Harlin's cinematic eye, which clearly has a forte on action and suspense rather than comedy. Because the two genres conflict each other on every scene, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane loses interest in humanity and has little time to develop other characters. To conclude, Ford Fairlane isn't funny because he's an archetype of other funny jerks, with little substance and no intelligence within him. It especially doesn't work because of the director's mistranslation of Clay's stand up. (1 ½ Noosed Koalas out of 5)

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Renny Harlin

Director

Andrew Dice Clay

Ford Fairlane

Wayne Newton

Julian Grendel

Priscilla Presley

Coleen Sutton

Morris Day

Don Cleveland, Record Producer

Lauren Holly

Jazz, Ford's Assistant

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Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

It’s too bad Clay doesn’t have the inclination or ability to plumb his oppressing-on-the-outside but oppressed-on-the-inside persona.

Rated: 1/4

May 12, 2022

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Surprisingly funny and expectedly rude, this first starring vehicle by vilified standup comic Andrew Dice Clay has a decidedly lowbrow humor that is a sort of modern equivalent of that of the Three Stooges.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A grotesque, offensive, and unforgivable film. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 17, 2022

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

As an actor, Dice is sometimes likable — he keeps himself amused. But he’s stuck in this ghastly hybrid that never gets going and finally makes him look foolish.

Rated: C-

Aug 31, 2022

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a misguided star vehicle that's aged horribly in the years since its 1990 release.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 25, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane (Andrew "Dice" Clay) is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch (Gilbert Gottfried) hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.

Director: Renny Harlin
Executive Producer: Michael Levy
Screenwriter: Rex Weiner, James Cappe, David Arnott, Daniel Waters
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Silver Pictures, 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.9M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: 35mm