Not bad for a remake. The central character is altered to suit Dudley Moore instead of Rex Harrison. Harrison was more suave. This script has Moore doing a variation of his stone roles in "Ten" and "Arthur." He gets bombed on tranquilizers during the climactic act-out and stumbles into walls and broom closets, detracting a bit from whatever sophistication the original had but making this version no less amusing.
The plot. Dudley Moore is a celebrated orchestra conductor. A series of mistakes leads him to conclude that his wife, Nastasja Kinski, is having an affair with a man who wears argyle socks. There is a furious search for argyle socks, with Moore ducking under the tables of fancy restaurants to check the socks worn by his companions. It's an old scene, this ducking under restaurant tables, but Moore pulls it off as well as anyone could. The only argyle socks he can find are those worn by his friend, the violinist Armand Assante.
Moore concocts a scheme to kill his wife and frame the violinist for the murder. The scheme isn't so much improbable as it is impossible, but it's funny enough in fantasy. When Moore tries to pull it off, everything goes wrong, of course, and the movie more or less collapses into frenzy.
Moore is good at these kinds of roles. God knows he's had enough practice. And he's a likable chap. It's difficult to envision him in an action movie -- "My Knife Is Quick", or something. Armand Assante is fine in a comedy. The first impression he makes is one of beefy, self-confident masculinity, but he's quite good in comic roles and is capable of self ridicule in a way that, say, Sylvester Stallone is not. Of Nastassja Kinski, what is there to say? She's sinewy, stunningly beautiful, more animated than usual, and edible.
Not a masterpiece but enjoyable.
The plot. Dudley Moore is a celebrated orchestra conductor. A series of mistakes leads him to conclude that his wife, Nastasja Kinski, is having an affair with a man who wears argyle socks. There is a furious search for argyle socks, with Moore ducking under the tables of fancy restaurants to check the socks worn by his companions. It's an old scene, this ducking under restaurant tables, but Moore pulls it off as well as anyone could. The only argyle socks he can find are those worn by his friend, the violinist Armand Assante.
Moore concocts a scheme to kill his wife and frame the violinist for the murder. The scheme isn't so much improbable as it is impossible, but it's funny enough in fantasy. When Moore tries to pull it off, everything goes wrong, of course, and the movie more or less collapses into frenzy.
Moore is good at these kinds of roles. God knows he's had enough practice. And he's a likable chap. It's difficult to envision him in an action movie -- "My Knife Is Quick", or something. Armand Assante is fine in a comedy. The first impression he makes is one of beefy, self-confident masculinity, but he's quite good in comic roles and is capable of self ridicule in a way that, say, Sylvester Stallone is not. Of Nastassja Kinski, what is there to say? She's sinewy, stunningly beautiful, more animated than usual, and edible.
Not a masterpiece but enjoyable.