Undercover Blues (1993, Kathleen Turner, Dennis Quaid, Fiona Shaw, Stanley Tucci, Larry Miller, Tom Arnold) – Classic Movie Review 12,070

Director Herbert Ross’s flop 1993 action comedy film Undercover Blues stars Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid as a wise-cracking couple of spies, along with Fiona Shaw, Stanley Tucci, Larry Miller and Tom Arnold.

Neatly paired Turner and Quaid come completely unstuck thanks to a poor script by Ian Abrams and flaccid handling by Herbert Ross of this The Thin Man-style comedy thriller, which manages none of the wit or the grace of that 1930s classic.

They play Jane and Jeff Blue, a pair of counter-intelligence agents who marry, have a baby and retire to New Orleans. Their peace is shattered by the emergence of a terrorist ring, so they get to work, brushing up their espionage and martial arts skills and practising their weapons training.

This is a good idea that just doesn’t work: despite the charisma between the two likeable stars, the mix of slapstick comedy and violent action is a tasteless mess. British stage worthy Fiona Shaw is again encouraged to overact embarrassingly just as she did in Three Men and a Little Lady. Stanley Tucci (as the mugger Muerte), Larry Miller and Tom Arnold are not seen at the best either.

Also in the cast are Park Overall, Obba Babatundé, Ralph Brown, Jan Triska, Marshall Bell, Richard Jenkins, Dennis Lipscomb, Saul Rubinek, Dakin Matthews, Michael Greene, Olek Krupa, Jenifer Lewis, Chris Ellis, Eliott Kemmer, David Chappelle, Katherine Gaskin, Marion Zinser and Eddie Braun.

It flopped. Costing $25 million, it took $12,324,660 at the box office.

The cast are Kathleen Turner as Jane Blue, Dennis Quaid as Jefferson Blue, Fiona Shaw as Paulina Novacek, Stanley Tucci as Muerte, Larry Miller as Sgt. Halsey, Park Overall as Bonnie Newman, Tom Arnold as Vern Newman, Obba Babatunde as Lt. Sawyer, Ralph Brown as Leamington, Jan Triska as Axel, Marshall Bell as Sikes, Richard Jenkins as Frank, Dennis Lipscomb as Foster, Saul Rubinek as Mr. Ferderber, Dave Chappelle as Ozzie, Jenifer Lewis as Dorothy, Dakin Matthews as Police Captain, Aleksander Krupa as Zubic, Michael Greene, Olek Krupa, Chris Ellis, Eliott Kemmer, Katherine Gaskin, Marion Zinser and Eddie Braun.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,070

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