All of Me (1984)

Directed by Carl Reiner. Starring Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Victoria Tennant, Jason Bernard, Dana Elcar, Richard Libertini, Madolyn Smith, Eric Christmas, Selma Diamond, Michael Ensign, Gailard Sartain. [PG]

Attorney Martin gets more than he bargained for when he takes an assignment to manage the estate of demanding and eccentric Tomlin, a terminally ill millionairess who is leaving her entire fortune to a woman (Tennant) whose body her soul will be inhabiting upon her death thanks to the powers of loopy swami Libertini. Due to the predictable complications, however, the errant soul ends up inside of Martin, and the two of them have to share/fight for control of his body and voice. Slow to start, this agreeable fantasy picks up steam quickly once it becomes a showcase for Martin’s invaluable talent for physical comedy, but later gets too entangled in plot and the manufacturing of a villain just before the final act. Despite rarely physically sharing the screen, Martin and Tomlin score as an appealing duo, their teamwork investing intuition and empathy into familiar caricatures. As the sometimes unwelcome third wheel to much of the shenanigans, Tennant doesn’t rate better than a bored mimicry of Sally Kellerman breathiness. Final film that paired Martin with director Reiner.

64/100