Pure Luck (1991)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Nadia Tass

Writers (WGA):

Francis Veber (film La Chevre)
Herschel Weingrod (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 August 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Somewhere on the Mexican Riviera, a beautiful, rich heiress has gone missing. Only one man can find her. Unfortunately, they sent two.

Plot:

The daughter of a wealthy bussinessman has dissapeared in Mexico, and all the efforts to find her have been unsuccessful...

Plot Keywords:

Luck | Mexico | Unlucky | Road | Accident

Cast

Martin Short	...	Eugene Proctor
Danny Glover	...	Raymond Campanella
Sheila Kelley	...	Valerie Highsmith
Sam Wanamaker	...	Highsmith
Scott Wilson	...	Frank Grimes
Harry Shearer	...	Monosoff
Jorge Russek	...	Inspector Segura
Rodrigo Puebla	...	Fernando
John H. Brennan	...	Tyler
Jorge Luke	...	Pilot
Abel Woolrich	...	Prisoner
Patricia Gage	...	Secretary
Ariane Pellicer	...	Girl at Club
Alexandra Vicencio	...	Nurse
Sharlene Martin	...	Nurse

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Sean Daniel Company

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene where Danny Glover is pointing a gun at Frank, it switches inexplicably from a Beretta to a Colt during each camera change.

Quotes:

Eugene Proctor: I am trained in martial arts. Judo, aikido, karate. The first thing they teach you is self-control. If someone calls you a jerk, you don't him them. You just walk away.
Large Man: Jerk.
Eugene Proctor: ...Ah! See? Complete control.
Large Man: Moron!
[Eugene walks into a door]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Daymaker (2007)

It's "pure luck" this movie is bashed so unfairly!

Why does Martin Short always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop? And even more so, why does he get the fuzzy end unrightfully? "Pure Luck" is a funny movie with some very funny moments of genuine comedy. It relies more on subtlety than on loud antics; more on characters than on pure gags. It's pure luck this movie is bashed so unfairly.

Short plays Proctor, a bumbling man who doesn't find bad luck - bad luck finds him. He would be the one the automatic sliding door doesn't open for; he would be the one that chooses a chair with a broken leg; he is the one who would be capable of finding an equally unlucky woman lost in Mexico, whose father is Proctor's boss.

Proctor's boss figures that singe he's such a bad luck charm, his daughter - who is just like Proctor - would be found much quicker if they used another luck-impaired civilian to find her. Of course, Proctor thinks he has been chosen for being a great mystery solver. During the entire film he walks around thinking that he was chosen for the job because he is good. But alas, that is not the case.

Danny Glover is the head honcho looking over Proctor to lead him along - but Proctor thinks he himself is in charge, and that Glover is his co-detective. Some funny scenes come out of this.

A movie like "Pure Luck" is fun not because it is wildly outrageous (i.e. not Jim Carrey humor), not because it has great direction, but simply because it has a more subtle humor reminiscent of an older type of film; its actors are terrific (whatever happened to Danny Glover and, even more so, Martin Short?); the script is funny.

Is it just me or is Martin Short a funny guy? He's got the comedic timing all down-pat, he has comical facial expressions, comical guestures - what can I say, he's a comical guy. People seem to forget his roles in "The Three Amigos" (alongside Steve Martin and Chevy Chase), "The Father of the Bride" (also with Steve Martin), and so on. But I think he's talented.

And Danny Glover ("Lethal Weapon") is a great character actor who hasn't appeared in many films over the past few years. Maybe "Predator 2" put him out of the game for a while. But he was in "The Royal Tennenbaums," so . ..?

This is a funny movie more character-driven than anything; it has an element of subtle humor that adds a charm to it. I really don't care if people don't like this movie - it's one of those that everyone I talk to loves, yet the general public seems to have a different opinion. Odd - is it just me, or is this funny stuff?

3.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer