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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Comedy · Mystery · Crime · 1982
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
Movie details
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
“Laugh, or I’ll blow your lips off...”
1982 Comedy · Mystery · Crime 1h 29m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.7 / 10
Community rating
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.
Thirteen at Dinner
Crime · 1985
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Knives Out
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When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Carl Reiner
Written by
George Gipe · Steve Martin · Carl Reiner
Steve Martin
Rigby Reardon
Rachel Ward
Juliet Forrest
Alan Ladd
(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
Carl Reiner
Juliet's Butler / Field Marshal Wilfried von Kluck
Barbara Stanwyck
(in "Sorry - Wrong Number") (archive footage)
Ray Milland
(in "The Lost Weekend") (archive footage)
Ava Gardner
(in "The Killers" / "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Court is in session
Put Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.