FINE MESS (DVD/WS 2.35/MONO/ENG-FR-SUB) DVD

A Fine Mess
Blake Edwards comes a cropper in this lunk-headed slapstick homage to Laurel and Hardy, Mack Sennett, and Jerry Lewis. Ted Danson and Howie Mandell play Spence Holden and Dennis Powell, a couple of idiots who find themselves involved with a pack of gangsters. Spence is a two-bit actor who is at a racetrack location with his pal Dennis, when he overhears two small-time thugs, Wayne "Turnip" Parragella (Richard Mulligan) and Maurice "Binky" Drundza (Stuart Margolin), talk about doping a horse set to run a race. It turns out that Turnip and Binky are under orders to carry out the dastardly scheme by their underworld boss Tony Pazzo (Paul Sorvino). When Spence and Dennis are found out, they find themselves pursued all over the Los Angeles area by an angry Tony Pazzo mob in an ever-escalating series of races and chases, crashes and smashes, and shouting and screaming. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Cast Ted Danson as Spence Holden Howie Mandel as Dennis Powell Richard Mulligan as Wayne Turnip Farragalla Stuart Margolin as Maurice "Binky" Dzundza Maria Conchita Alonso as Claudia Pazzo Jennifer Edwards as Ellen Frankenthaler Paul Sorvino as Tony Pazzo

Crew Philippe Gerard - Choreography Pat Norris - Costume Designer Blake Edwards - Director John F. Burnett - Editor Robert Pergament - Editor Jonathan D. Krane - Executive Producer Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score) Nick Jameson - Songwriter Dennis Lambert - Songwriter Larry Huff - Songwriter Roy Hayes - Songwriter John Lan - Songwriter William Linton - Songwriter Darryl Littlejohn - Songwriter Richard Page - Songwriter Huge Peretti - Songwriter Michael Price - Songwriter Bobby Sandstrom - Songwriter David Bryant - Songwriter George Weiss - Songwriter Steve George - Songwriter Eric Douglas - Songwriter Dave Bartholomew - Songwriter Anne Boston - Songwriter Keith Burston - Songwriter William Burton - Songwriter John F. Calder - Songwriter Luigi Creatore - Songwriter Bob Crewe - Songwriter Antoine Domino - Songwriter Steve Farris - Songwriter Bob Gaudio - Songwriter John E. Garnett - Songwriter Robert Elsey - Songwriter Rick Sharp - Makeup Rodger Maus - Production Designer Harry Stradling, Jr. - Cinematographer Tony Adams - Producer Stuart A. Reiss - Set Designer Roy Downey - Special Effects Joe Dunne - Stunts Blake Edwards - Screenwriter Norman Steinberg - Screenwriter Larry Williams - Featured Music

A Fine Mess
This late-period venture into screwball comedy isn't Blake Edwards's finest moment: the comedic highs are spaced a little too far for the film to cohere and it runs out of steam when it should be building up to manic heights in the third act. That said, A Fine Mess offers some little pleasures for comedy fans: Ted Danson and Howie Mandel make an engaging comedic team, gliding through the slim storyline with ease, and Stuart Margolin and Richard Mulligan give them a run for the money as a slapstick-prone pair of bumbling crooks. Edwards's direction sometimes flags in the pacing department but he structures the individual gags with skill and the results frequently get a laugh: highlights include Danson and Mandel's attempts to dodge the crooks while placing a bet and Mandel's slow-burn reaction to some unexpectedly spicy Indian food. The end result is a film of modest pleasures and this makes A Fine Mess a pleasant enough way for fans of old-school comedy to kill an afternoon. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel Additional Features: none specified DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 90 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- A Fine Mess 1. Start [:22] 2. Police Pursuit [8:49] 3. Back to the Track [5:34] 4. Another Chase [9:04] 5. The Auction [5:01] 6. Stolen Car [8:31] 7. "Where Were You Last Night?" [7:13] 8. Car Swap [6:32] 9. Goon Squad [8:01] 10. Claudia's Secret [6:27] 11. Facing the Mob Boss [7:40] 12. End of the Road [6:11]