Wrongfully Accused (1998)

22% of critics liked it
(32 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(19,594 ratings)

Pat Proft directed this satire on The Fugitive with a plot parody of the 1993 Harrison Ford movie, which in turn was inspired by the 1963-67 ABC television series with David Janssen. Violinist Ryan Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) romances the wife (Kelly Le Brock) of his benefactor (Michael York), a man… More Pat Proft directed this satire on The Fugitive with a plot parody of the 1993 Harrison Ford movie, which in turn was inspired by the 1963-67 ABC television series with David Janssen. Violinist Ryan Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) romances the wife (Kelly Le Brock) of his benefactor (Michael York), a man murdered by mercenaries. Naturally, Ryan gets blamed. Headed for Death Row, he's on a bus involved in a train accident and escapes in order to locate the real killer -- a one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed man. Tracking Ryan is Lt. Fergus Falls (Richard Crenna). Other movies lampooned here include Titanic, Clear and Present Danger, Chinatown, Mission Impossible, and North by Northwest. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Pat Proft
Written By: Pat Proft
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 21, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Dec 22, 1998
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Leonard Klady, Variety
The best gags pop up in the closing credits, which should tell you something about what precedes the finale.
John Haslett Cuff, Globe and Mail
Even the audience at the free promotional screening was hard-pressed to find many genuine laughs in this purportedly comic abomination.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Beyond stupid.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A mind- numbingly awful motion picture that has a better chance of making a viewer physically ill than of provoking a genuine laugh.
Anita Gates, New York Times
Unfortunately, most of the jokes just aren't very funny.
Sandra Contreras, TV Guide's Movie Guide
There's something tired and rotten about this Fugitive send-up right from the start.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
An understandably tired-looking Leslie Nielsen should seriously consider retirement from this tired genre.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
If and when you go see it, don't go in with an expectation of seeing something cinematically superior, but do expect a good time.
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
I'd say it's worth a rent.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
This film is strictly hit and miss.
Cheryl DeWolfe, Apollo Guide
Clearly, Pat Proft was wearing too many hats, and both his writing and his directing suffered for it.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Wait for the end credits -- the mindless nonsense interspersed between the cast and crew lists is off the wall.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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

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Featured Audience Ratings

Mike S

With the recent passing of comedy legend Leslie Nielsen, I felt it a high time to honor his memory by revisiting some of his movies. Starting off with <i>Wrongfully Accused</i>, I was yet again reminded of the brilliance he brought to his every performance. Always spot-on… More
With the recent passing of comedy legend Leslie Nielsen, I felt it a high time to honor his memory by revisiting some of his movies. Starting off with <i>Wrongfully Accused</i>, I was yet again reminded of the brilliance he brought to his every performance. Always spot-on and with perfect dead-pan delivery. This may not be one of his best films, but it's a lot funnier than the critics have made it out to be. Yes, many of the jokes miss the mark, but Nielsen more than makes up for all of that. The gags come at you at super-sonic speed and you never know what's next around the corner. An entertaining cocktail of slap-stick and pure wittyness. So don't let the bad ratings scare you off. Because altough falling short of comedy gold, it's still a helluva lot better than the spoof movies they make nowadays. R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen. Thank you for all the great laughs that you gave to the world. You will always be remembered as one of the great kings of comedy.
Lafe F

I didn't like "The Fugitive", and I liked this movie even less.
Deb S

If you're looking for a cerebral workout, then you are in the wrong place but since "The Fugitive" is one of my all-time favorite movies, this one was fun and enjoyable for me to watch. The movie was laugh-out-loud funny with tons of sexual innuendos. Spoofing The… More
If you're looking for a cerebral workout, then you are in the wrong place but since "The Fugitive" is one of my all-time favorite movies, this one was fun and enjoyable for me to watch. The movie was laugh-out-loud funny with tons of sexual innuendos. Spoofing The Fugitive, Leslie Nielsen takes us on a wild ride that combines Mission Impossible, Braveheart and The Titantic and has enough quick, witty gags to make you split your sides. All in all, if you haven't seen this movie before, see it soon.
William G

Eek.
Curt C

This just tries to cram as many sight gags as possible into 80 minutes; surprisingly, it works.
Leo L

Hilarious! Leslie Nielsen is too funny.