Martin Short is a guy who made a couple of comedies that I thought were pretty good. Though looks like once again I like a comedy that a lot of people do not. Granted I did not think it was super great or anything, but I did find this movie about a detective trying to find a girl who had been kidnapped by using a guy with as bad of luck as the girl kidnapped to somehow stumble upon her rather funny. It was Short's character though that carried this one, as Danny Glover was not bad, but he at times was a bit too serious in this one. That is okay, most of the comedy does around Short and he does a good job in his scenes as he has physical comedy scenes and with most other comedy as well. Danny Glover's character spends most of the film trying to prove that Short's character does not have luck and that luck has nothing to do with anything which seems silly to continue thinking shortly after he and Short's character meet. Some good scenes involve Short finding quicksand in a place that has no quicksand, a very bad bee sting and a very bad decision by Glover to get Short to proposition a lady. Short ended up pretty much disappearing from movies for the most part, but I thought he was a good actor in comedies.

This is a very funny movie that deserves to rated much higher than it is! I have seen it several times and always laugh hard. It was witty and cleverly written, and I think Short and Glover play very well off of each other (contrary to what many reviewers have said.) The scene in the mission is among the funniest things ever put to film. I don't need to write a book about this...you just need to rent it for yourself and you'll understand. It is a true comedy classic despite being a lesser-known film (like some of the other "bests" I might add.)

While there is not a lot of "substance" to this movie, for pure comedy, it is amongst the best!

Valerie Highsmith (Sheila Kelley) is the bumbling daughter of a wealthy businessman on vacation in Mexico. Purse snatchers leave her on the streets with amnesia. Small time con man Frank Grimes comes along and takes her hostage. Her father sends investigator Raymond Campanella (Danny Glover) but he has no luck. Because of her bad luck, her father is convinced to send the equally bad luck accountant Eugene Proctor (Martin Short) to follow Valerie and partnered with Campanella.

This is adapted from a French movie and I have yet to laugh at a French comedy. Some of that is the language difference but I also think the French aren't that funny. This should work better with Short as the wacky funny man and Glover as the straight man. Short has his moments and Glover's best comedic partner remains Mel Gibson. The comedy is very broad and very limited. It's pretty stupid but not stupidly funny. Worst of all, the investigation isn't that compelling. Seeing Valerie doing similarly stupid things could make the concept work better. It may also work better if Eugene is an idiot but he's not really written as such. He could also be resigned to the bad luck. I'm not sure if Eugene is calibrated correctly.