Deal of the Century

Deal of the Century (1983)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: William Friedkin (RIP)

Starring: Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, Gregory Hines, several "That Guy" actors

From: Warner Bros.

This is not the most dignified way for me to say “RIP William Friedkin”, but... to be brief, I've reviewed his most famous work already, I'll likely wait until October to revisit The Exorcist on its 50th anniversary, and Killer Joe is something I need to watch again yet that is NOT an easy watch—talk about a dark film full of unpleasant characters. In contrast, while this has a reputation as a bomb, a leading trio of Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Gregory Hines just sounded odd (and it was), & Friedkin being a director for hire also intrigued. Paul Brickman wasn't finished w/ Risky Business yet; at least that was a hit...

I discovered why Ol' William wasn't known for his comedies. He only did a few and this had to be his worst one; he didn't even write a single word about it in his autobiography. It concerns Luckup Industries-wonder what that rhymes with-and other arms contractors in a satire; Lord knows that is an industry that deserves scorn... selling weapons that kill to anyone willing to pay the price. However, this was too toothless (even w/ direct references to Reagan and & Bush Sr.) and aside from some chuckles, not that funny OR entertaining. That is, unless you think that suicide because someone is stringing you along for weeks is knee-slapping hilarious. What a misfire.

Not even the lead trio, Wallace Shawn, several “that guy” actors nor Ray Manzarek (yes, the keyboardist for The Doors had a small role for who knows what reason) could make this worthwhile. Dr. Strangelove this wasn't; at least that didn't treat Latin America in a snide, condescending manner. I know there were plenty of projects he wanted to do and they never came to fruition so it was a shame that in a career full of peaks & valleys, this was during a bad time so he had to take the job of directing a film that many don't know or remember existed 40 years later.

At least he made a few films that range from very good to classic, and even something flawed like Cruising is still worth seeing. As for Deal of the Century, I'm not really surprised that in 2023 this has not made its way into the HD era.