Foul Play (1978)
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74% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(7,831 ratings)
As he did in his screenplay for Silver Streak (1974), writer/director Colin Higgins mixes life-and-death melodrama with broad slapstick in Foul Play. Goldie Hawn stars as Gloria Mundy, a recent divorcée whose attempts to start life anew in San Francisco are bollixed up when she is inadvertently… More As he did in his screenplay for Silver Streak (1974), writer/director Colin Higgins mixes life-and-death melodrama with broad slapstick in Foul Play. Goldie Hawn stars as Gloria Mundy, a recent divorcée whose attempts to start life anew in San Francisco are bollixed up when she is inadvertently swept up in an assassination plot against the Pope. Offering sometimes dubious aid and comfort to Gloria is bumbling federal agent Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase). The film's comedy ranges from the farcical seduction efforts by musician Stanley Tibbets (Dudley Moore) to the zany, gag-filled car-chase finale. Foul Play features character actors Rachel Roberts and Eugene Roche as villains, Burgess Meredith as a martial arts-happy landlord, and Billy Barty as a long-suffering religious bookseller. It also packs in a memorable "throwaway" gag involving a profane Scrabble game played by sweet little old ladies Queenie Smith and Hope Summers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Colin Higgins
- Written By
- Colin Higgins
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jul 14, 1978 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Writer Colin Higgins makes a good directorial bow.
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, Time Out
Unsatisfactory as a whole, the film is hilarious and tense in bits.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Mr. Higgins's penchant for mixing visual elegance with coarse gags is equally ill-advised, especially because it makes him work the gags so hard.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Director Colin Higgins plays foul with the audience, constructing some of the most dishonest suspense sequences ever filmed.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The comedy/thriller plods on for too long with tasteless and witless physical comedy, though it has a few funny moments.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Goldie Hawn
as Gloria Mundy
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Chevy Chase
as Tony Carlson
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Burgess Meredith
as Hennessey
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Rachel Roberts
as Gerda Casswell/Delia Darrow
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Eugene Roche
as Archbishop Thorncrest
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Dudley Moore
as Stanley Tibbets
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Bruce Solomon
as Bob Scott
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Marilyn Sokol
as Stella
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Brian Dennehy
as Fergie
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Chuck McCann
as Theater Manager
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Billy Barty
as J.J. MacKuen
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Don Calfa
as Scarface
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Marc Lawrence I
as Stiltskin
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Cooper Huckabee
as Sandy
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Ion Teodorescu
as Turk
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Pat Ast
as Mrs. Venus
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John Hancock
as Capt. Coleman
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Queenie Smith
as Elsie
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Hope Summers
as Ethel
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Irene Tedrow
as Mrs. Monk
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Cyril Magnin
as Pope Pius XIII
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Chuck Walsh
as Newscaster
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Frances Bay
as Mrs. Russel
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Joe Bellan
as Man in Phone Booth
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David Cole
as Extra
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Lou Cutell
as House Manager
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William Frankfather
as Whitney Jackson
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Garry Goodrow
as Henpecked Husband
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Rollin Moriyama
as Japanese Man
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Barbara Sammeth
as Sally
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Connie Sawyer
as Screaming Lady
- Shirley the Python
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Janet Wood
as Sylvia
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M. James Arnett
as Truck Driver
- Craig R. Baxley
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Jophery C. Brown
as Cop
- Hal Needham
- Glynn Rubin
