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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Play trailer Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid PG 1982 1h 29m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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77% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
When a famous cheese maker dies in a freak car crash, his daughter (Rachel Ward) is convinced that it was no accident. She thinks he was murdered for his top-secret cheese recipes. To prove her theory, she hires detective Roy Reardon (Steve Martin). His quest to find out what happened to the missing man brings him face-to-face with movie legends, actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd and Burt Lancaster, via footage from classic film noir and crime films.
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

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Critics Consensus

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is more eleaborate pastiche than uproarious comedy, but the farce works thanks to the sly lampooning of Hollywood noir and Steve Martin's performance as a goofy gumshoe.

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Critics Reviews

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Bob Thomas Associated Press The novelty value wears thin, and attention wanders as the plot turns grow more obscure. But there are enough outrageous gags to please the faithful. Nov 12, 2018 Full Review Peter Stack San Francisco Examiner Although the gimmick wears thin, the production holds up remarkably well because Martin delivers the funny goods with wry ease. Rated: 3/4 Nov 11, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy What should have been a godsend for anyone who worships film noir (raising my hand here) proves instead to be a crushing disappointment. Rated: 2/4 Sep 24, 2021 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) The absence of novelty is compensated by its original development. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 27, 2019 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion A parlor trick, but the kind -- an inquiring jester making his way through the ghosts of cinema's past -- that gets Godard at the Moviola to layer Histoire(s) together Sep 6, 2009 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jun 15, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Farah R A film so ambitious and wittingly executed, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is an outrageously creative and fun comedy. The story gets a little jumbled along the way but the movie never ceases the chance for a good gag. It’s definitely worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/08/25 Full Review Oaklee D A witty and charming love letter to the golden age of Hollywood. Carlos was my favourite supporting character, he was hilarious. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review steve d Charming enough and amusing enough to keep my attention. It's not super hilarious but I laughed out loud a few times and chuckled quite a bit. I had no idea if this would be any good but I'm glad i watched it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/23 Full Review Steve D Inconsistently funny and often becomes what it tries to make fun of. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/21/23 Full Review Dave S Like a lot of Carl Reiner's movies, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a mixed bag that includes some comedy gold (the coffee-making scene is great) and some more than uncomfortable attempts at humor (the molesting of the unconscious woman in the first scene, which has understandably aged poorly). Steve Martin is great as Rigby Reardon, a detective hired by the beautiful Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) to figure out who murdered her father. Don't worry about the convoluted story, which simply serves as tool to introduce some wonderfully intercut footage of stars from 1940's film noir into the story, including the likes of James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Burt Lancaster, among many others. As a comedy, it's only average. As a homage to film noir, it's fascinating. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Jarrod R Goofy, goofy fun. Was a solid introduction, albeit tangentially, to the noir genre. Excellent cast and a fun nod to Terre Haute, Indiana. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

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Cast & Crew

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Carl Reiner

Director

Steve Martin

Rigby Reardon

Rachel Ward

Juliet Forrest

Carl Reiner

Field Marshall VonKluck

Reni Santoni

Carlos Rodriguez

George Gaynes

Dr. Forrest

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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

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Movie Info

Synopsis When a famous cheese maker dies in a freak car crash, his daughter (Rachel Ward) is convinced that it was no accident. She thinks he was murdered for his top-secret cheese recipes. To prove her theory, she hires detective Roy Reardon (Steve Martin). His quest to find out what happened to the missing man brings him face-to-face with movie legends, actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd and Burt Lancaster, via footage from classic film noir and crime films.
Director
Carl Reiner
Producer
David V. Picker, William McEuen
Screenwriter
Carl Reiner, George Gipe, Steve Martin
Production Co
Aspen Film Society, Universal Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 11, 2015
Runtime
1h 29m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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