Richard Dreyfuss is an actor who can slip into a comic role with the same ease as a serious one. 'Stakeout' is a laugh a minute movie that brings out his comic talents in a buddy-cop genre film that was so popular during the 80's.
Buddy-cop movies usually bring together two cops who have a common passion for law enforcement, but have something uncommon. It’s either a black-white, or old-young or peaceful-violent or even rule-follower-rule-breaker combination. 'Stakeout' has an older cop in Dreyfuss who is a risk taker and also someone who is going through a marriage break-up teaming up with a young detective played by Emilio Estevez who goes by the book, has a stable family life and does not fool around. They have been given the task of staking out the exquisitely beautiful Madeline Stowe as they believe her absconding jailbird boyfriend would make contact with her soon to claim the loot that he has hidden in her apartment.
Richard Dreyfuss as Chris Lecce is the star of the film and really has you on the floor laughing with his comic capers on screen. The way he combines his wit with a charm that makes a younger beautiful woman fall for his balding graying looks is to be seen to be believed. Emilio Estevez as Bill Reimers is passable and he clearly feeds off the Dreyfuss brilliance. Madeline Stowe as Maria McGuire, the 'subject' looks beautiful and does a reasonable job in the acting department. Aidan Quinn as her jailbird boyfriend, Richard Montgomery does an adequate job of portraying a jail breaking 'con'.
John Badham, who gave us the trend setting 'Saturday Night Fever' does a great job of keeping the viewer in splits throughout the two hour laugh riot. He understands that this genre cannot have a dull moment.
The film has a very simple and predictable plot. But the charm of the movie is in the laughs that the cast generate through witty one-liners and complicated situations. It’s a fun film to watch when you are in the need of some laughs in life.
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