140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Fun, screwball physical comedy is slightly more mature than what Martin had been doing, but not much. Dated but leads are still very funny.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of All of Me:
In 1984, Carl Reiner and Steve Martin teamed up for the fourth and final time with All of Me, a slight body-swap comedy based on an unpublished novel (Me Two by Edwin Davis) and titled after the 1930’s jazz hit.
Millionaire Edwina Cutwater (Tomlin) has been sickly and bedridden all of her life, and now that she’s dying she’s arranged to have her soul transferred into the body of a beautiful young woman named Terry Hoskins (Victoria Tennant) so that Edwina can get another chance at life. She enlists the help of attorney Roger Cobb (Martin) to amend her will, making Hoskins the sole heir so that the Cutwater fortune will be awaiting her in her new body. Through a chain of events that would be unlikely anywhere but in a screwball comedy, Edwina’s soul ends up in Roger’s body – and he’s still in there. The two must work together to exist in one body until they can get Edwina back where she belongs. Of course, it isn’t going to be easy…
The physical comedy of Martin is top-shelf, right up there with his other 80’s hits, but the dialogue and interplay between the stars is even better. In some ways this is a somewhat insubstantial picture, but the pairing of Martin & Tomlin is comedic gold. The filmmakers utilize a device in which Edwina’s visage is visible to Roger in mirrors, allowing the actors to play directly off of each other, making for great interaction.
Further comedic excellence is delivered by Roger’s blind friend Tyrone Wattell (played by the always enjoyable Jason Bernard) who nearly steals the picture with his deadpan deliver of lines like “Well, if I can be of any help at all, you are in worse trouble than I thought.”.
While not one of his more famous pictures, All of Me was a solid hit for Martin, who has the perfect foil in comedy superheroine Tomlin. They are sadly, if predictably, planning a remake, but the original still plays.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Steve Martin Roger Cobb, Lily Tomlin Edwina Cutwater, Victoria Tennant Terry Hoskins, Madolyn Smith Osborne (as Madolyn Smith) Peggy Schuyler |
| Rating | PG |
| Release Date | Fri 21 Sep 1984 UTC |
| Director | Carl Reiner |
| Genres | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance |
| Plot | A dying millionnaire has her soul transferred into a younger, willing woman. But something goes wrong, and she finds herself in her lawyer’s body – together with the lawyer. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 93 |
| Tagline | The funniest movie since TOOTSIE [Australia Theatrical] |
| Writers | Edwin Davis (novel), Henry Olek (adaptation) |
| Year | 1984 |
