Outrageous Fortune (1987) Touchstone/Action-Comedy RT: 99 minutes Rated R (language, violence, sexual content/humor) Director: Arthur Hiller Screenplay: Leslie Dixon Music: Alan Silvestri Cinematography: David M. Walsh Release date: January 30, 1987 (US) Cast: Bette Midler, Shelley Long, Peter Coyote, Robert Prosky, George Carlin, Anthony Heald, John Schuck, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Florence Stanley, Jerry Zaks, John Di Santi, Diana Bellamy, Gary Morgan, Christopher McDonald. Box Office: $52.8M/$65.8M (World)
Rating: *** ½
No doubt about it, the late 80s were all about great movies! As big of a fan as I was (and still am) of the New World/Cannon B-movie oeuvre, I also had (and still have) a weakness for Touchstone comedies. Not all of them are winners (e.g. My Science Project, Off Beat and Big Business), but enough were that I always looked forward to checking out their latest offerings. Among the best are Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Tin Men, Stakeout, Three Men and a Baby and Outrageous Fortune. Rarely does an action-comedy come together as well as this effort from director Arthur Hiller (Silver Streak, The In-Laws).
Now what is that these movies all have in common? Simple, great chemistry between the lead actors. Respectively, Gene Wilder-Richard Pryor and Peter Falk-Alan Arkin. With Outrageous Fortune, you can add the dream team of Bette Midler (Ruthless People) and Shelley Long (Cheers). They play a mismatched pair forced to work together to locate the man that lied to them both about a great number of things. Obviously, it’s more complicated than that and I’ll get to it shortly. I took a lady friend to see Outrageous Fortune one cold Sunday evening and we both enjoyed it. I was going through a few things at the time (namely, finding myself) and this was the perfect remedy for that which was ailing my soul. Perhaps this is indicative of some personal bias, but I still get a good laugh out of Outrageous Fortune to this day.
Lauren Aames (Long) wants to be serious actress. It’s her dream to someday play the role of Hamlet. She’s the type that excels in every single thing she tries be it ballet or stage fencing. When she gets the rare opportunity to study under theater great Stanislav Korzenowski (Prosky, Broadcast News), she’s all over it. She first meets brash actress Sandy Brozinsky (Midler) in Korzenowski’s office while waiting to audition for his seminar. The refined lady and the vulgar broad clash immediately so it comes as no surprise that they will becomes classmates. It’s also no surprise they will end up involved with the same man, Michael Sanders (Coyote, E.T.). He claims to be a teacher, but we know that isn’t the case.
One day, Michael is seemingly killed in an explosion at a flower shop. Both women end up at the morgue to identify the body, but soon discover that it’s NOT Michael. In an R-rated comedy like this, it’s not the face that betrays his grand deception. Think a little bit lower on the body. The next question is what really happened to their lover. And which one does he really want to be with? They decide to try and track him down so they can make him choose between them. Of course, they’re not the only ones after him. The CIA and the KGB would like to have a few words with him too. Who is this guy and what is he up to? I’ll never tell!
So begins a cross-country odyssey during which the two vastly different actresses start to bond and become friends. In a movie like Outrageous Fortune, this development is a foregone conclusion. What makes it different from similar action-comedies is that it works. Midler and Long make a great team. I’ve always been a fan of Midler; I think she’s a riot. Long is a funny lady too as long as she has good material to work with. The role of Lauren Aames seems custom-made for Long. The character isn’t too far removed from Diane Chambers, her character on the long-running sitcom Cheers. Comedian George Carlin contributes a hilarious supporting role as a faux-Indian guide forced into helping Lauren and Sandy with their situation.
There are a few small surprises in Outrageous Fortune, although I’m sure that more astute viewers will figure them out long before the big reveal. The title comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (“the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”). I didn’t know this when I saw it for the first time. I had yet to take my Intro to Shakespeare class at the local community college.
There’s one scene in Outrageous Fortune that I continue to reference to this day. The ladies find themselves riding through a bad neighborhood in a taxi when Lauren mentions not having seen a white person for several blocks. Sandy points to one, waits a beat and then says, “Oops. They got him.” Is it offensive? Maybe. Is it funny? Definitely! Bottom line, this is one of the funniest movies in the Touchstone canon. It works on pretty much every level. The storyline is quite good. Many scenes are hysterically funny. It maintains a perfect balance of action and comedy. It even has a high repeat watchability quotient. You can’t ask for much more than that.
