SummaryFilm noir parody with a detective uncovering a sinister plot. Characters from real noirs appear as scenes from various films are intercut.
Directed By:Carl Reiner
Written By:Carl Reiner, George Gipe, Steve Martin
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Metascore
Generally Favorable
67
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
62% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
38% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
A consistently hilarious parody of the noir and detective genres, expertly blending classic archival footage with the action.
89
Martin's inner giddiness makes Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid a classic. This loose film is more than a spoof of the hard-boiled noir of the Forties and Fifties; it is a tribute to the wonderful memories these films created in a generation.
80
A genial, gently mocking, brilliantly executed spoof that may offend the purists but which should delight the buffs.
70
Some amusement is derived from watching a film that so obviously had to be worked out backwards. The bits in between feature likeable Martin as a keen but clumsy detective - with all the good lines, which is no bad thing because he's the best part of this fairly amusing, clever exercise in editing.
60
Unfortunately, the technical hullabaloo gets stale about three-quarters of the way through and we want something to cling to. It's a case of the missing plot, unless you count what writers Reiner (who also directed), Martin and George Gipe weave round the clips to string them together. [21 May 1982, p.13]
50
Martin has a few good silly gags, but you may find yourself fighting to stay awake and losing.
50
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid thus has considerable appeal to movie buffs for whom the black-and-white semi-classics of an earlier era are familiar treasures. For the rest of us, it is a senior thesis -- variations on a single theme, executed carefully but always to the same effect. [21 May 1982, p.D2]
User score
Generally Favorable
60% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Sep 16, 2021
10
Anyone who didn’t like this movie, just doesn’t enjoy comedy, or Steve Martin. The work necessary to put together the old clips along with expertly crafted current footage was phenomenal. This must have been a dream to write on as well as perform for Mr. Martin. Is it a great story line, who cares? It was entertaining the first time I saw it and it is still entertaining. Top 5 comedy film for me. I could watch this over and over.
Jul 25, 2021
10
Hilarious movie. Brilliant comedy that meshes together scenes from classic films, with the comedy stylings of Steve Martin to create a hilarious Film Noir comedy unlike anything else out there. In a genre completely lacking any slapstick parody, this movie delivers the java.
