Foul Play (1978)
Movie · 1978 · Comedy, Mystery, Thriller · 1h 56m · PG · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (30.8K ratings)
It's a highly dangerous comedy!!
Overview
A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.
Ratings
- Curator score: 2.9/10
- IMDb: 6.8/10
- Letterboxd: 3.28/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
- Metacritic: 45
- TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Colin Higgins
Production
Paramount Pictures, Miller-Milkis Productions, Shelburne Associates
Cast
Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Burgess Meredith, Eugene Roche, Dudley Moore, Marilyn Sokol, Brian Dennehy, Marc Lawrence, Rachel Roberts, Frances Bay, Queenie Smith, Billy Barty, Chuck McCann, Don Calfa, Bruce Solomon, Cooper Huckabee, Pat Ast, Lou Cutell, William Frankfather, John Hancock
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, very late-70s blend of screwball romance, mystery, and Hitchcock parody. It’s uneven, but the chemistry, San Francisco setting, and barrage of gags make it an easy recommendation for viewers who enjoy stylish genre mashups more than airtight plotting.
Best for
- fans of romantic comedies with a mystery hook
- viewers who like Hitchcock homages and playful suspense
- people in the mood for lightweight 1970s studio comedy
- fans of Goldie Hawn or Chevy Chase
Skip if
- you want a tightly constructed thriller
- you’re allergic to broad 1970s comedy
- you prefer modern joke density or sharper pacing
- you need the mystery to be especially coherent
Overview
Foul Play works best as a sunny, slightly chaotic tribute to Hitchcock filtered through 1970s studio comedy. The plot is mostly an excuse to move Goldie Hawn through a series of increasingly absurd encounters, but the movie’s charm comes from its tone: flirtatious, goofy, and just suspenseful enough to keep the wheels turning. San Francisco is used beautifully, giving the whole thing a polished, postcard noir feel.
Worth noting
The film is at its strongest when it leans into the chemistry between Hawn and Chevy Chase, who is at his most effective in deadpan mode. The supporting oddities and elaborate comic set pieces give it a shaggy, anything-goes energy, even when the humor lands unevenly by modern standards. It’s not a great mystery, but it is a very watchable one.
Bottom line
If you like movies that treat suspense as a playground rather than a solemn exercise, this is a good time. The final stretch pays off better than the middle suggests, and the whole thing has the kind of easygoing confidence that makes even its sillier detours feel part of the joke.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Marie Bardi (3★) · 271 likes
(In a Stefan from SNL voice) This movie has *everything* An albino,A bible-selling dwarf,Old ladies playing a vulgar game of Scrabble,"Charming" Chevy Chase,A domesticated python,A pope,A bishop and his twin brother,An original song by Barry Manilow,A performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta "The Mikado,"An anti-rape sound machine,Spanish Fly,A helium-inflated blow-up doll,Japanese tourists in the back of a taxi waving American flags,and an *adorable* Goldie Hawn.
threepenny (4★) · 122 likes
So many things I can't take my eyes off of: Burgess Meredith kung fu fighting with Rachel Roberts. Goldie Hawn in that bridesmaid's dress. Dudley Moore and his inflatable sex dolls and Saturday Night Fever. Chevy Chase in his prime. When he does those deadpan line deliveries, when he's on, no one can touch him (In this movie, I especially admired the timing of, "Gloria...did you drop a lot of acid earlier tonight?"). Made me nostalgic for San Francisco, back… more So many things I can't take my eyes off of: Burgess Meredith kung fu fighting with Rachel Roberts. Goldie Hawn in that bridesmaid's dress. Dudley Moore and his inflatable sex dolls and Saturday Night Fever. Chevy Chase in his prime. When he does those deadpan line deliveries, when he's on, no one can touch him (In this movie, I especially admired the timing of, "Gloria...did you drop a lot of acid earlier tonight?"). Made me nostalgic for San Francisco, back… more
Danny From the Bay (Capps) (4★) · 81 likes
This is a funny movie (Dudley Moore gags, poor little person beat down) but this movie was most fun for me when it was more of a mysterious murder mystery. I usually hate Chevy Chase and he wasn't too bad in this.
theironcupcake · 76 likes
"I think we got off on the wrong foot.""Yes, and it seems to be in your mouth.""Okay, I deserve that. Listen, it's Gloria, right? You're a really nice girl and I'm a nice guy, and you're very pretty with or without cleavage, and what do you say... would you like to take a shower?""I don't pick up strange men!""Well, that's your problem.""So why don't you try it?" Happy New Year, everybody! Foul Play is one… more
Xeremy Hall 🟠🟢🔵 (3.5★) · 76 likes
I started watching this because its a Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn from 1978 that I've never seen and it seems like a recipe for great comedy, at least that's what I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was a Hitchcockian-style espionage thriller with scenic shots of San Francisco reminiscent of Vertigo as the backdrop. I was kind of blown away by director Colin Higgins's take on this story and how closely he was inspired by the legendary director right… more I started watching this because its a Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn from 1978 that I've never seen and it seems like a recipe for great comedy, at least that's what I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was a Hitchcockian-style espionage thriller with scenic shots of San Francisco reminiscent of Vertigo as the backdrop. I was kind of blown away by director Colin Higgins's take on this story and how closely he was inspired by the legendary director right… more
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Topics
rom-com, mystery, thriller, Hitchcockian, screwball, San Francisco, 1970s, parody, light suspense, ensemble comedy