Ira Wells (Art Carney) is a retired private investigator who rents a room from Mrs. Schmidt. One evening, his old partner Harry Regan visits; he's been shot! Ira asks who shot him while Mrs. Schmidt calls for an ambulance. Harry babbles on about making a great deal and he's gonna give Ira a cut. Of course, he then dies without having revealed any of the players in this deal or who shot him. Thanks, Harry. At Harry's funeral, Ira is approached by Margo Sterling (Lily Tomlin) about her lost cat. It seems that she had hired Harry to find the cat. Inevitably, Ira agrees to look for Margo's cat if only to discover who killed his old partner. Along the way, he has to deal with genial criminal Ron Birdwell (Eugene Roche), his two-timing wife Laura Birdwell (Joanna Cassidy), and failed Hollywood agent and bar owner Charlie Hatter. Every time Ira finds a lead, the lead is murdered before he can ask them anything. Worse, the murderer is only too willing to shoot Ira or Margo if they happen across his/her path.
Carney does a good job of being a seen-it-all retiree who still has some tricks but isn't as tough as he used to be. His slang is clearly from another era and he has an abrasive personality. However, he also thinks more of himself than the events merit. Though he plays the role well, I didn't like Ira Wells, making him an excellent character but a poor protagonist. Tomlin is miscast. Her New Age ditzy actress and dressmaker is more often annoying than entertaining. When Ira gets frustrated by her constant blather, the audience can sympathize. Eugene Roche is hilarious - about the only one to get any laughs in this 'comedy' thriller - as a well-off crook who offers to pay with high-end merchandize rather than money.
In the end, the plot is an overcomplicated mess. Harry could have just said "X shot me," and this whole movie and most of the deaths would vanish. Thanks, Harry. A variety of unlikeable characters plod through an often incomprehensible plot to an unsatisfying conclusion. Meh. Skip this one.
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