Review of Deal of the Century

Studio......................Warner Bros.
Director....................William Friedkin
Executive Producers.......Jon Avnet, Steve Tisch, Paul Brickman
Produced by................Bud Yorkin
Written by.................Paul Brickman
Music by....................Arthur Rubinstein

Cast:

Eddie Muntz..................Chevy Chase
Mrs. DeVoto.................Sigourney Weaver
Ray Kasternak...............Gregory Hines
Frank Stryker...............Vince Edwards
Harold DeVoto...............Wallace Shawn
Massaggi.....................Richard Libertini

Story:

The smooth talking Eddie Muntz is a great salesman of arms. Small arms, but also bigger ones with which one could start a world war. But don´t be afraid, he doesn´t sell to everybody: only to people with a suitcase full of money...

Deal of the Century is a satire in which we take a look behind the scenes of the international arms deals. Through Mrs. DeVoto, the ambitious widow of an arms dealer, Eddie Muntz gets caught up in a arms deal which could become the deal of the century, involving war planes and dumb dictators.

The climax is the important arms fair "Weapons for Peace ´84", one of the weirdest fairs out of movie history. Deal of the Century is a very funny movie with a very serious subject.

Birgitte S.C.´s opinion:

Deal of the Century wasn´t received very well by both the critics and movie audiences. William Friedkin wanted his movie to be a satire, but the jokes were of such low level, that nobody found it amusing. Recently the movie The Avengers got the same reception.

First of all I have to point out that I have a very bizarre and also a very rare kind of humour. An example that illustrates this is that I liked both Deal of the Century and The Avengers. Both movies have to be watched without taking anything seriously.

Of course, I have to agree with all people saying it wasn´t a good movie, because there are better comedies than Deal of the Century. But I find the movie entertaining, although you have to be in the mood for it. It´s not that you´re laughing your head off for 95 minutes, but that would only cause you pain in your stomach anyway. Some jokes are really working, others miss their goal completely. But for Sigourney Weaver fans it should be an OK movie.

Favourite scenes:

- The silly commercials for arms with which the movie opens.

- Eddie Muntz demonstrating a bazooka for military people who are even too short to be able to lock their target.

- Mrs. DeVoto shoots Eddie Muntz in the foot (which is already plastered) and stops the bleeding by pushing a cork in the bullet hole. Gives a new meaning to the expression "practical joke" ;-)

- Ray´s car is first totally wrecked by an angry guy before Ray calmly opens the trunk and retrieves his giant flamethrower. Upon which the guy panics and runs away.

- The launch of the latest, state-of-the-art fighter goes terribly wrong...

- Mrs. DeVoto and the dumb dictator, who can´t get it up...
That joke works every time, doesn´t it? :-)

My favourite quote:

- "Did you enjoy your stay at the hotel, Ms. DeVoto?"
"Mr Muntz, please, I lost my husband yesterday."
"Well, we can wait a few minutes, you might still find him."
[Followed by a loud thud as a coffin is thrown in the back of the car]