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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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Mark H Meh. Maybe cute...and good to see old school major Hollywood actresses in their prime...but not really a comedy, unless 'awkward' is a subcategory. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/25 Full Review Alain E This is a playful exercise in cinematic history. Steve Martin is a film noir private eye who is investigating the suspicious death of a prominent scientist/cheese maker at the request of his seductive daughter. On this basic story quite successfully the filmmakers grafted pieces from previous movies from the canon, thus giving a second life to Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Joan Crawford and numerous other stars of historic Hollywood. The present film is shot in black and white which makes the transition smoother, although of course some of the old stock has significantly more grain. Overall the result is quite pleasant. According to Wikipedia the title refers to a scene that it was ultimately cut from the movie! Don’t worry. This is not the only inconsistency being served. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/25 Full Review Kyle M Minus the careless plotting with a faltering screenplay that would sometimes rely on laughable deliverance, it’s an admirably crafted experiment in an unconsidered worthwhile form with transportive, keen dedication. Although, in order to have that sort of engaging effect it seems more on insisting that you watched the noir genre frequently than converting towards further discovery, otherwise the experiment will be mediocrely received but will nonetheless intrigue. (B-) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/20/25 Full Review Stephen C Funny in just 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review 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 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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