In Acapulco, a man drives his car through a cantina and crashes on to the beach, where it bursts into flames. In New York, the insurance company is not eager to pay the $5 million policy for the death. Therefore, Jake Dekker (Charles Grodin) is dispatched to investigate. To provide a cover story, he hires a model, Ellie (Farrah Fawcett), to pose as his wife. Jake also has a local contact, Al Marcus (Art Carney), a veteran gumshoe who will help out for a premium fee. No sooner have Jake & Ellie arrived at their posh rental than they are invited to meet the suspects. They meet the dead man's family: stand-offish wife, lustful son, and lachrymose daughter. There is also the man's lawyer and the lawyer's wife (Joan Collins). Beyond planting bugs in phones, Jake and Ellie accomplish little. Mostly, the plot is advanced when Al reports his latest findings, which mostly happened offscreen. Oh, it's like that. This 'mystery' is often more interested in the awkward romance between Jake and Ellie, who have no chemistry. Sad. The actual villains are barely seen or developed beyond what Al has stated to Jake.
Where this should have been a noir mystery set in a tropical paradise, it is instead a weak romantic comedy that offers plenty of chances for Farrah Fawcett to wear snug outfits and Charles Grodin to act bemused. The best performance is that of Art Carney, who did this same character a couple years earlier in The Late Show. The villains and most of the side characters are barely developed. The most memorable part of the movie was the car chase that went through a bullfight: car vs. bull! That the car chase made no difference at its conclusion was disappointing.
Mediocre. Skip.
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