Underrated 1940s "noir comedy" among Woody Allen's resume, and he considers it one of his worst. As a fan of Woody's, agree to disagree. The period art direction, costumes, hair and makeup, characterizations, atmosphere, and sensibilities offer Allen fans a beautiful platform for his cast to work from. And what a cast assembled!
A magician (David Ogden Stiers) places an insurance investigator (Allen), under anxiety due to a recently hired office "organizer" (Helen Hunt) who has urged the company boss (Dan Aykroid) to use outside PIs in an independent investigation firm instead of the current in-house detectives on the payroll, under hypnosis, encouraging him through a trigger word to steal jewels held by his employers (or behind security for clients to protect their jewels). It happened while Allen was attending a birthday function for a fellow co-worker in a club with Stiers performing his hypnosis act. Hunt is also under hypnosis and later when Allen is unavailable, Stiers will use a trigger word on her to commit the same type of jewel heists.
How this "wronged man" plot gets Allen off the hook is most amusing, but for me it is the traded barbs/insults/remarks between him and Hunt is what most entertained me personally. I realize Allen felt he was miscast in the lead, but the cockroach or weasel insults towards someone else wouldn't have had the same impact as when Hunt demeans him. The "don't have a coronary" or "don't choke" or "be careful not to be hit by a truck" conclusions to finished dialogues from Hunt to Allen make up some of the "flirt" later to give credence to their unlikely romance and alliance later. The case that develops against Allen is damaging but how Wallace Shawn and Brian Markinson learn of his hypnotic entrapment, rescuing him in the process, proves to be his salvation. Charlene Theron is a sultry and naughty femme fatale caricature, John Shuck is an opinionated employee who works at the company, and Elizabeth Berkeley landed a plum part as a stunning but supposedly airheaded secretary at Allen's company. The description of Allen's apartment by Theron, Allen conceding to Hunt after considering her a cipher that she is worth confiding in, and Allen giving Hunt as much as he takes offer rich dialogue exchanges and humorous quips to giggle at. Just lots of fun. The setting enhances the cast and words. A sleeper in Allen's oeuvre.
A magician (David Ogden Stiers) places an insurance investigator (Allen), under anxiety due to a recently hired office "organizer" (Helen Hunt) who has urged the company boss (Dan Aykroid) to use outside PIs in an independent investigation firm instead of the current in-house detectives on the payroll, under hypnosis, encouraging him through a trigger word to steal jewels held by his employers (or behind security for clients to protect their jewels). It happened while Allen was attending a birthday function for a fellow co-worker in a club with Stiers performing his hypnosis act. Hunt is also under hypnosis and later when Allen is unavailable, Stiers will use a trigger word on her to commit the same type of jewel heists.
How this "wronged man" plot gets Allen off the hook is most amusing, but for me it is the traded barbs/insults/remarks between him and Hunt is what most entertained me personally. I realize Allen felt he was miscast in the lead, but the cockroach or weasel insults towards someone else wouldn't have had the same impact as when Hunt demeans him. The "don't have a coronary" or "don't choke" or "be careful not to be hit by a truck" conclusions to finished dialogues from Hunt to Allen make up some of the "flirt" later to give credence to their unlikely romance and alliance later. The case that develops against Allen is damaging but how Wallace Shawn and Brian Markinson learn of his hypnotic entrapment, rescuing him in the process, proves to be his salvation. Charlene Theron is a sultry and naughty femme fatale caricature, John Shuck is an opinionated employee who works at the company, and Elizabeth Berkeley landed a plum part as a stunning but supposedly airheaded secretary at Allen's company. The description of Allen's apartment by Theron, Allen conceding to Hunt after considering her a cipher that she is worth confiding in, and Allen giving Hunt as much as he takes offer rich dialogue exchanges and humorous quips to giggle at. Just lots of fun. The setting enhances the cast and words. A sleeper in Allen's oeuvre.