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The Big Fix

Play trailer Poster for The Big Fix PG 1978 1h 48m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Misfit private investigator and single father Moses Wine (Richard Dreyfuss) is tapped by his former college flame, Lila Shay (Susan Anspach), to dig into a political smear attack on the campaign she oversees. What starts out as a seemingly run-of-the-mill attempt at dirty politics evolves into a plot involving an unsolved murder; former 1960s radical leader Howard Eppis (F. Murray Abraham), who has settled into suburban life; and a terrorist plan to explode a Los Angeles freeway.
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The Big Fix

Critics Reviews

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Jay Scott Globe and Mail 08/11/2022
As a slice of sociologically accurate life, The Big Fix is resonant, compassionate, improbable funny. Go to Full Review
Desmond Ryan Philadelphia Inquirer 09/01/2021
Richard Dreyfuss is never a dull actor, and he makes more of Wine and the artificial juxtapositions of "The Big Fix" than we have any right to expect. Go to Full Review
Stuart Emmrich Atlanta Journal-Constitution 09/01/2021
The humor is often very funny, and watching Dreyfuss act even when you have seen the same bits before is usually worth the price of admission to the theater. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 03/05/2022
3/5
...with a great cast and sunny LA location shooting, The Big Fix is worth a hazy, crazy trip down memory lane. Go to Full Review
Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant 09/01/2021
Dreyfuss' neat and low-key balancing of the comic and more poignant aspects of Wine's personality provides an engaging center for "The Big Fix" even when it threatens to become too confusing to let us keep track of its plots and counterplots. Go to Full Review
John Huddy Miami Herald 09/01/2021
The Big Fix is beyond repair. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mark H 08/29/2024 This is a fine detective movie from the late 70's, really the first to identify the upward mobility of what were once hippies into yuppies, and the underlying competition between the social movements of the 60's. I am not going to give away the plot but Abraham is fantastic as a former radical turned doting husband and father. See more 10/07/2023 Based on Roger L. Simon's novel starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Bedelia, and John Lithgow, F. Murray Abraham Moses Wine is a private investigator and a single father His former flame Lila gives him a simple job digging into a political smear attack on a campaign But it turns out to be much more dangerous; much of what Moses stumbles into involves an unsolved murder of a former 1960s radical leader Howard Eppis and a terrorists plan to explode an LA freeway Can Moses solve the case and protect his family? It's a slick mystery full of labyrinths but Abraham doesn't show up until an hour and a half into the movie Dreyfuss makes the material watchable being that he can blow the whistle on his friends since they all had revolutionary backgrounds Sometimes that bites back hard The last half is the best past where everyone is racing to stop the bomb threat A comedic noir with a bit of an edge added with dirty politics as well as family strife Not great but good enough of a 70's detective story See more Steve D 08/14/2023 Wildly inconsistent in both tone and quality. See more steven a 01/14/2023 Simon adapted his own novel, altering the ending at the studio's behest. He draws on Watergate in his portrayal of shady political dealings and blends it with Chandler-esque mystery elements and a detective hero as much of his time as Marlowe had been. Where Simon diverges from the source inspiration of his creation is that he allows Wine to have a full backstory and often saddles him with his kids from his failed marriage, as ex-wife Bedelia forges a new life for herself. This, along with Dreyfuss' wisecracking and cynical character, gives the film a comedic overtone as it slowly builds the plot almost as an afterthought. Karin is a comic delight as Wine's politically opinionated aunt. Kagan directs efficiently and handles the shifting of tone into the final act skilfully, but the plot can often feel secondary to the character study of Wine, rendering it even more convoluted than it needs to be, resulting in an entertaining but frustrating viewing experience. See more 03/18/2020 It's an overly byzantine neo-noir set in (and emotionally flat as) sunny Los Angeles about disillusioned ex radicals from (and with as many up-and-down twists as) the Bay Area, and not even an energetically hysterical Dreyfuss can fix those self-contradictions. See more 08/20/2017 Obscure and my favourite Dreyfuss movie. This movie is still politically relevant and ADORABLE while making a myriad of points. When Lithgow had hair. See more Read all reviews
The Big Fix

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Movie Info

Synopsis Misfit private investigator and single father Moses Wine (Richard Dreyfuss) is tapped by his former college flame, Lila Shay (Susan Anspach), to dig into a political smear attack on the campaign she oversees. What starts out as a seemingly run-of-the-mill attempt at dirty politics evolves into a plot involving an unsolved murder; former 1960s radical leader Howard Eppis (F. Murray Abraham), who has settled into suburban life; and a terrorist plan to explode a Los Angeles freeway.
Director
Jeremy Kagan
Producer
Carl Borack, Richard Dreyfuss
Screenwriter
Roger L. Simon
Production Co
Universal/Universal Int
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 48m
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