Die Laughing (1980) Orion/Comedy-Thriller RT: 108 minutes Rated PG (language, violence, suggestive content) Director: Jeff Werner Screenplay: Jerry Segal, Robby Benson and Scott Parker Music: Craig Safan Cinematography: David Myers Release date: April 1980 (US) Cast: Robby Benson, Linda Grovenor, Charles Durning, Elsa Lanchester, Bud Cort, Rita Taggert, Marty Zagon, Larry Hankin, Sam Krachmalnick, Michael David Lee, Peter Coyote, Charles Fleischer, Charles Harwood, Melanie Henderson, Carel Struycken, Chuck Dorsett, Morgan Upton. Box Office: $4M (US)
Rating: ***
Isn’t it funny how bad-to-mediocre movies from the 80s seem better than the bad-to-mediocre ones that come out now? Hell, some of them are even better than some of today’s good movies. Maybe it’s just me, but too many movies these days leave me with a hollow feeling regardless of whether I liked it or not. I don’t feel that way about the ones from back in the day. Chalk it up to nostalgia, I suppose.
Such is the case with Die Laughing, a comedic caper starring Robby Benson (Ice Castles) as a taxi driver and aspiring singer who finds himself in the middle of a plot involving killers, Russian spies and a monkey with valuable information everybody wants. David Pinsky’s main concern in life right now is winning a talent contest that will hopefully bring him the stardom he desires. He’s a good enough singer that he should seriously consider quitting his day job. He sure as hell can’t drive worth a damn judging by the condition of his cab. I mean, would you get into a cab with its front bumper hanging off? No wonder his boss, played by Charles Durning (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), is always yelling at him.
The trouble begins when Pinsky picks up a nuclear physicist on the run from a killer (Hankin, Billy Madison) who wants what’s in the box he’s clutching. He finds himself on the hook for murder after the killer shoots the physicist in the back of his cab. Pinsky grabs the box and runs, ultimately landing at the front door of his cheating girlfriend’s apartment where he’s greeted by her knife-wielding little sister Amy (Grovenor, Wheels of Fire). The box contains a monkey that can type out a formula for converting nuclear waste into weapons-grade plutonium. Naturally, everybody wants to get their hands on the little primate. It’s not just a race between American and Russian spies either. There’s this twerpy little megalomaniac, Mueller (Cort, Harold and Maude), who wants the formula for his own nefarious purposes.
Die Laughing brought to mind a similar movie from around the same time, one that was likewise met with jeers and derision. The 1982 comedy-thriller Hanky Panky stars Gene Wilder as an innocent man caught up in a web of intrigue after being framed for murder. He too is aided by a woman, played by Gilda Radner, with whom he becomes romantically involved. I’m one of the few people that actually liked it. It’s not great, not by a long shot, but it’s nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests. I feel the same about Die Laughing. It’s a mess of a movie. Contrary to the title, you won’t die laughing, but you might be amused if you don’t set your hopes too high.
The director is one Jeff Werner, a documentary filmmaker whose only other non-doc feature film is 1979’s cheerleader comedy The Great American Girl Robbery. After the commercial and critical failure of Die Laughing, he shifted his focus to documentaries, directing a few of his own (Coming Attractions: The History of the Movie Trailer) and editing a few by others (Beyond the Mat). He also served as editor on the 1996 Barbra Streisand vehicle The Mirror Has Two Faces which suggests an attraction to vanity projects on his part. Die Laughing is definitely one. Former teen idol Benson isn’t just the star of the show; he’s also the co-producer and co-writer. PLUS, he wrote the three songs he sings in the movie. Two of them, the folksy “Mr. Weinstein” and the ballad “All I Want is Love”, are actually pretty good. The other, “Far Side of the Dream”, is fairly generic. Yet that’s the one he presumably wins the contest with. Go figure.
Die Laughing is the actor’s first adult role after claiming the hearts of young girls, teen and preteen alike, in Ode to Billy Joe, One on One and the sappy Ice Castles, a movie that made me want to scream out loud afterwards. Even with Benson casting himself in the lead, it’s still one of the oddest bits of casting I’ve ever seen. Benson, with his angel face and gentle voice, is so NOT an action guy. Then again, his character isn’t supposed to be either. He’s an idiot caught up in intrigue and murder. He’s a fall guy, a dupe, a patsy, whatever you want to call it. Benson actually comes off as otherworldly which turns Die Laughing into something of a surreal viewing experience.
Speaking of surreal, let’s talk for a bit about Bud Cort (talk about otherworldly!). His character Mueller is one of the bad guys. He wants the monkey, so he sends a bunch of random minions to get it. Mueller is a very bizarre individual. He has an effete way about him and an aversion to being touched. He shrieks like a little girl on at least one occasion. He shows up at Pinsky’s final performance decked out in punk gear and a pair of shoes with sharpened spikes on the soles. He plans to kill Pinsky by jumping through the skylight over the stage. I don’t think he thought this one through. What if he misses? He’d be stuck to the floor until the police arrive. Mueller has to be one of the strangest villains I’ve ever seen; only Bud Cort could pull off a role like this.
Whatever happened to Linda Grovenor? Inactive since 1990, her career mainly consisted of guest shots on TV shows like BJ and the Bear, Airwolf and Murder, She Wrote. I remember seeing her in a great ABC Afterschool Special called “The Terrible Secret” in which she plays a teen suffering from guilt after accidentally hitting a kid on a bike with her car. I also saw her in the pilot episode of the short-lived prime time teen soap opera Secrets of Midland Heights (1980-81) which also starred Linda Hamilton and Lorenzo Lamas. I liked Grovenor back in the day. She’s a perky sort and makes a decent sidekick/love interest to Benson’s character in Die Laughing. She should have been a bigger star.
Die Laughing has a cool supporting cast that includes Charles Fleischer (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Melanie Henderson (The Electric Company) as members of Pinsky’s band Rush Hour. Also, the Bride of Frankenstein herself Elsa Lanchester is on hand as Pinsky’s probation officer-turned-guardian (he has a juvenile record for minor offenses). Look for future E.T. star Peter Coyote as an FBI agent trailing Pinsky.
With regards to Die Laughing, it’s messy alright. It’s an uneven mix of comedy, intrigue, romance and music. Benson runs and drives around like a maniac while being chased by cops, killers and Russian spies who operate out of a circus. Naturally, this leads to a bit where Benson trips and falls face-first into a pile of elephant manure. What, were you expecting high-brow farce? You won’t find it here, not with all the kicks to the groin given and received. On the upside, the monkey is cute and funny even if he does screech more than Cort’s character.
As for romance, let me just say Die Laughing has one of the strangest, most misplaced love scenes I’ve ever seen. At one point, Pinsky and Amy are being held by the Russians in a barn. The couple, tied at the hands and feet, manages to combine making out and untying their binds with their teeth. Is this really a good time to get it on, you two?
While not awesome or outstanding in any way, Die Laughing is a good guilty pleasure that I don’t mind revisiting every now and then. I didn’t get to see the one-week wonder at the movies due to a forced visit with relatives that weekend. I finally caught it on cable in ’94 and liked it. I saw it for the second time this past weekend on Amazon Prime. Does it hold up after more than 40 years? That’s subjective. I like it, but I doubt it will appeal to today’s young people. They’ll think it’s boring. I can only say I’m glad I grew up when I did. I’ll take a middling effort like Die Laughing over what passes for comedy today.
