BURGLAR. Directed by Hugh Wilson; written by Joseph Loeb III, Matthew Weisman and Hugh Wilson; produced by Kevin McCormick and Michael Hirsh. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Goldthwait and G.W. Bailey. Rated R (language, some sexual references).
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Burglar is a comedy-mystery that works better as a comedy than a mystery. The plot is adequate, though, at least as an excuse for moving the laughs along. And the comedy is superb. So, on balance, it's well worth seeing.
Bernie (Goldberg) is an accomplished cat burglar, as we're shown in the first sequence, when she's surprised in mid-burgle by a jogger coming back to the premises unexpectedly and still manages to make off with some loot. And in true Goldberg style, she gets a lot of laughs in the process.
Unfortunately, though, she still has money problems, thanks to an ex-cop inclined to blackmail (miraculously underplayed by Bailey, of the Police Academy and Mannequin).
A way out may be to steal some jewelry back for a dingy dentist, (Leslie Ann Warren), whose ex-husband has taken the stuff for spite.
While in the middle of that job, Bernie witnesses a murder (sort of) and loses the jewels. The consequences of this bad luck mushroom more and more unbelieveably. But Bernie and her supporting cast are so entertaining that no one minds the ridiculous plot.
I'd never seen Goldthwait before this movie and, not knowing what to expect, was completely bowled over by his insane, hysterical style of comedy. Regular fans of his may or may not agree that's he's as good in Burlgar as in his stand-up routines.
But he steals scenes from Goldberg, a feat I would have considered impossible before seeing this movie. His scenes, though few and short, are so funny that I literally ached with laughter. He's in the movie just the right amount of time for maximum impact.
Warren is another delightful surprise here. She's funnier than she's been in years (perhaps ever) in her few brief scenes. My favorite has her meeting her lawyer in jail after she's been booked for her ex-husband's murder. Her hysteria about "prison" hardships is a real scream.
The script of Burglar keeps the comic tone at the forefront throughout. It doesn't make the mistake some other comic thrillers have made (Jeff Goldblum's Into the Night, for one) of letting the violence get out of hand. Burglar is played strictly for laughs. The raunchy language is the only thing some moviegoers might find objectionable.
April 8, 1987