Seems Like Old Times (1980)

Directed by Jay Sandrich. Starring Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Charles Grodin, T. K. Carter, Robert Guillaume, Yvonne Wilder, George Grizzard, Harold Gould, Marc Alaimo, Judd Omen. [PG]

The stars of Foul Play re-team for a throwback to the 30s screwball comedy style from an original screenplay by Neil Simon. The difficult-to-swallow setup: Chase is randomly kidnapped by a couple of bank robbers to pull a job for them, which puts him on the run from law enforcement and the district attorney’s office, the head of which (Grodin) is married to Chase’s ex-wife (Hawn). The jokes and set pieces are all there, including a bedroom farce where Chase hides under the bed while Hawn and Grodin are being amorous above, and a dinner party with the governor where Chase has to pose as the server, but they rarely inspire more than chuckles—the direction and writing are too limp for the sort of material that thrives on snap, bite, and innovation. The unsatisfying epilogue feels especially irrelevant. Chase coasts on his smug aloofness, Grodin’s dry foil only gets a few opportunities to steal a gag, and the best thing that can be said about Hawn’s characteristic easygoing dim blonde routine is that she’s a little less shrill and frantic than average. Probably looked good on the page and the drafting board, but something is missing in the execution.

53/100