Blind Date (1987) TriStar/Comedy RT: 95 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, sexual references, brief rear nudity, comic violence including gunplay, drunkenness) Director: Blake Edwards Screenplay: Dale Launer Music: Henry Mancini Cinematography: Harry Stradling Jr. Release date: March 27, 1987 (US) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kim Basinger, John Larroquette, William Daniels, George Coe, Mark Blum, Sab Shimono, Phil Hartman, Stephanie Faracy, Alice Hirson, Graham Stark, Joyce Van Patten, Barry Sobel, Armin Shimerman, Brian George, Stanley Jordan. Box Office: $39.3M (US)
Rating: ***
I’ll grant that the comedy Blind Date is a step down for Blake Edwards, the director behind comedy classics like The Pink Panther (1963), 10 (1979), S.O.B. (1981) and Victor/Victoria (1982). It is, however, an improvement over Micki & Maude (1984), A Fine Mess (1986) and the last few Pink Panther films (i.e. Trail, Curse and Son). It’s a mostly funny rom-com about a blind date that goes from good to catastrophic with just a few sips of alcohol.
Bruce Willis (Moonlighting), in his first starring role in a feature film, plays Walter, a yuppie whose life revolves around his job as an asset manager (in training). He works for a company that doesn’t appreciate all his hard work and the long hours he puts in. They’re trying to land a big client from Japan (Shimono, Gung Ho) and he’s expected to bring a date to a dinner party they’re holding in his honor. When his date bails on him, he accepts his brother’s (Hartman, SNL) offer to set him up with his wife’s friend Nadia (Basinger, 9 ½ Weeks). He “warns” Walter beforehand not to let her drink because she loses control. The way he puts it, it sounds like a good thing. It’s not.
Walter is instantly smitten with Nadia. She’s beautiful, smart and charming. It seems like they make a connection. He decides to ignore his brother’s advice and gives her champagne. That’s when things quickly spiral out of control. Nadia doesn’t just lose all inhibitions; she becomes a complete maniac. It doesn’t help matters any that her psycho ex-boyfriend David (Larroquette, Night Court) keeps popping up hoping to win her back. Before the end of the night, Walter will lose his job, most of his car and all of his sanity. Basically, Nadia ruins his life. Or has she made it better?
Would it surprise you to know that Walter ultimately realizes he’s in love with this girl? I thought not. After everything she puts him through, he still wants to be with her. That’s going to be a problem. After the date ends with Walter being arrested, Nadia makes a deal with David, a lawyer. If he agrees to defend him in court and get all charges dropped, she’ll marry him. Walter can’t let that happen so he comes up with a plan to derail the wedding.
I saw Blind Date when it first came out. I saw it again when it came out on video in the fall. I don’t think I’ve seen it since. That was 38 years ago. I wasn’t sure if I’d still like it. It turns out I do. It’s definitely dated, but the same could be said of most movies from the 80s. Not all of the jokes land, but that’s the nature of comedy. I still laughed plenty when I watched it this past weekend. I’m not going to rehash my feelings about the sorry state of today’s movie comedies. I will say I’m glad I have movies like Blind Date to fall back on when I need a good, unforced laugh.
Edwards took a real chance tapping Willis for the lead. It pays off mostly. He’s a funny guy when he wants to be. I’m just wondering if he’s the right guy for the role. Willis has a real wise ass quality to him. Listen to how he delivers some of his lines in Die Hard (1988) and The Last Boy Scout (1991). Here, he’s supposed to be a passive sort who takes whatever s*** life throws at him. He doesn’t smirk or make wise cracks. He’s fine in Blind Date, but the character’s personality doesn’t suit the actor’s style.
Basinger, on the other hand, is a natural comedienne. That’s in addition to being gorgeous; something Edwards doesn’t take full advantage of here. She looks kind of dowdy with the mousy brown hair that usually hangs in her eyes. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still attractive. I just think she should have been allowed to look like she usually does. That being said, she has decent chemistry with Willis.
The show stealer in Blind Date is Larroquette. He delivers a nutso performance as the delusional ex who won’t let go. He tries everything in his power to sabotage the date (not that he needs to do much to make a bad situation worse) only for it to backfire. How many store windows does he crash through? In any event, his David is a stalker who’d be dangerous if he wasn’t such an idiot. William Daniels (St. Elsewhere) has some good scenes as David’s disapproving dad. He can’t stand his son and it’s easy to see why. The late Hartman is funny as Walter’s brother, a used car salesman who’s always trying to sell something. Mark Blum (Crocodile Dundee) is memorable as a sex-crazed colleague of Walter’s who gets his just desserts from Nadia after hitting on her at the dinner party.
There are some funny comic set-pieces in Blind Date. The best is the scene in David’s family’s mansion involving hallways, locked bedroom doors, a balcony and people ducking out of sight. It recalls the hotel sequence from Victor/Victoria. It’s not as hilarious, but it still works.
It comes down to this. Is Blind Date funny? Yes, it is, mostly. Like all comedies, it’s hit or miss. Luckily, this one hits more than it misses.
