Deal of the Century (1983)

I love this movie so much

hyped garbage

good back-story, and good acting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

You got the director of Sorcerer, you got Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, and Gregory Hines, and a contemporary Dr. Strangelove story, man, it's gonna be something great!Well, unfortunately it is something great. A great pile of crap. I don't know what happened, but the movie bombed because it was savaged by critics and ignored by audiences, and for good reason. The film fails to ignite the outrageous Dr. Strangelove storyline. I think Friedkin was out of his comfort zone and into unknown territory. Honestly, Friedkin is not the kind of director you call for comedies. It's not his forte. Although the film is total crap as a whole, I will say there are elements of genius in there, not much, but it's there. One interesting note is that Friedkin completely throws away his unique induced documentary style and goes classical and traditional for the second time in his career. The first time was on The Brink's Job in 1978. Some of the action sequences are pretty raw and realistic. The jokes are amateurish and sophomoric. Friedkin should have never made this film. If anyone is contemplating if they should view this film, well my answer to you is absolutely no. I really mean it. Not even Friedkin would watch it. I think he would burn this film if he owned the negative. Watch Lord of War (2005), it has a similar story and concept, but only slightly better or just watch great films about this same concept like Wag the Dog (1997) or Dr. Strangelove (1964) and Charlie Wilson's War (2007).

This left-wing comedy is so very boring that it doesn't even have the strength to properly annoy me. Its support for Communist rebels and its disdain for Reagan and everything that he stood for is just so idiotic and trite. Weaver is her usual uncharismatic self, and Chase has never been this unfunny. But there's hardly anybody who'd have been funny with this script. It amazes me that someone actually went through the last draft of the script and actually thought "yeah, this one will be good; let's spend some millions and make a helluva picture!". If you are interested in reading my phony biographies of Weaver and other Hollywood morons, contact me by e-mail.

This is a must see for any Chevy Chase fan or anyone who has ever worked at a large defense subcontractor! Office Space for the defense industry. I've worked at big companies (both defense and commercial) and this movie portrays them quite accurately. Even though the inherent humor in the plot line is based on the defense industry, it is very accessible to those who know little about it. Chevy is at his finest as the movie plays his character's extreme comical greed (i.e. will sell any weapon to anyone for any reason) against Gregory Hines' burgeoning conscience about their chosen profession. I was initially shocked by the low average rating of this movie. After reading some of the other reviews about this movie I begin to understand. Because Chevy plays an humorously amoral individual rather than his usually lovably goofy, one I think many viewers were shocked. I didn't think that the humor in this film was subtle; but apparently for many, it was. This movie also makes a very strong moral point about the military industrial complex that should be taught (whether with this movie or not) to all people before they are allowed to vote.

It is a satirical look at the industry of arms sales. Chevy Chase is an independent broker who sells rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, etc. to any 3rd rate dictatorial government (or its opposing insurgency) like he's selling vacuum cleaners. Somebody is going to get rich arming South American counties at war with each other so why not him? Gregory Hines is his business partner who is becoming a born again Christain and therefore developing a moral crisis over the implications of their work, which is brilliantly exemplified in a scene where he is sent to Long Beach to check out a good deal on flamethrowers and listens to the client describe them as "house warmers" because in North Africa the paramilitary uses them to burn village huts in order to find out who resides in them- a preferable alternative to knocking on doors. This movie is for people who want to learn about the ugly convergence of business and war peppered with a handful of great jokes about the subject. "Haven't you heard of the separation of church and business? This country was founded on it!"The movie Lord of War with Nicolas Cage is about to be released, and from the trailer it looks like the writer saw Deal of the Century and decided to update it for 2005.