Best Defense (1984)

18% of users liked it
(5,462 ratings)

Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie… More Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie (Moore) is an inept engineer trying to perfect a gyro system for his employers who contract projects with the U.S. defense department. Wylie accidentally gets some blueprints for another type of gyro -- and his company successfully manufactures the part, much to almost everyone's benefit. Unfortunately, these plans are coveted by a certain ruthless industrial spy (David Rasche), and the FBI itself is suspicious about the origins of the blueprints in Wylie's hands. Meanwhile (and in constant interspersed segments), Landry (Murphy) is trying to get his tank to stay on course, but no matter what he does the machine swerves and lunges at random -- could there be a gyro at fault here? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Willard Huyck
Written By: Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 20, 1984 Wide
On DVD: Jan 27, 2004
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby, New York Times
It really isn't easy to make a movie as mind-bendingly bad as Best Defense. It takes hard work, a very great deal of money and people so talented that it matters when they fail with such utter lack of distinction.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
A dismally unfunny shambles.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Try as they may, neither the cast nor the filmmakers can cover up the fact that this movie, like Moore's prototype, is a dud.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Aiming for the zaniness of Catch-22, this comedy misfires.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Disappointing, Best Defense, have a poor, but clever, screenplay, poor direction and nothing funny moments. A low point in Dudley Moore's career. It's a good film to know, but terrible to be one of your favorite. Rotten.
xGary X

Let's face it, Dudley Moore's film career STANK! A film of two halves, with Moore and Murphy featuring in two different stories, neither of which are even vaguely funny.
Dean M

Hideously unfunny star comedy remarkable in that the two stars never actually appear on screen together.

Cast

            Dudley Moore as Wylie

            Eddie Murphy as Landry

            Kate Capshaw as Laura

            Helen Shaver as Claire

            George Dzundza as Loparino

            David Rasche as Jeff Spy

            Mark Arnott as Brank

            Peter Michael Goetz as Joyner

            Tom Noonan as Holtzman

            Gabi Amrani as Old Villager

            Gary Bayer as Lubell

            Raye Birk as Sonny

            Stephen Bradley as Deputy Director

            Burton Collins as Cameraman

            Paul Comi as Chief Agent

            Ellen Crawford as Sonya

            Rick Dees as Himself

            Jake Dengel as Doorman

            Gene Dynarski as Gil

            Paul Eiding as Tourist

            Deborah Fallender as Toni

            Lorry Goldman as Rupp

            Rozsika Halmos as Seamstress

            Darryl Henriques as Col. Zayas

            John Hostetter as Quirk

            Jim Jansen as Lieutenant

            Sanford Jensen as 2nd Engineer

            Christopher Maher as Sayyid

            William Marquez as Padilla

            David Paymer as Kurly

            Joel Polis as 1st Agent

            Dennis Redfield as Specs

            Eduardo Ricard as Garcia Vega

            Ray Sharkey as Radio Man

            Hugo L. Stanger as Blevin

            Tyler Tyhurst as American Captain

            Javier Grajeda as Freddie Gomez

            Jerry Hyman as Col. Kleinman

            Yulis Ruval as French Singer

            Pamela Stonebrook as Singer

            Renny Temple as Coffee Machine Mover

            Gerald Jann as Engineer

            Jennifer Wallace as Waitress

            John A. Zee as Col. McGuinn

            Matthew Laurance as Ali

            Charles David Richards
            
See full cast