All of Me (1984)

How sad is this?

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Since the first time when l watched this picture l really find it odd and outrageously funny,the trio Martin,Tomlin and the great director Carl Reiner already implied a success,Martin make a physical comedy,clumsy sometimes in most of time and the originality of the plot reach the target,Victoria Tennant is also another high point together Dana Elcar,Madolyn Smith just Adorn the picture,seems foolish but pure entertainment comedy of 80' style!!Resume: First watch: 1988 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25

Once you get a real grip of what this film will be about, some 30min into it, you think to yourself "oh no, how in the world are they going to move on from that now ?". The premise is so silly it feels best suited for a short cartoonish sketch at best. It just so happens it's a full Steve Martin starring, Reiner silverscreener.So it manages to do well, Martin doing particularly well at his absolutely clownesque role, while Tomlin has no issue going all-out emotional wreck, which can only be saluted from an acting perspective.There are funny moments, a couple of really funny moments, things like the Indian guru guy and his obsession with repeating what others say at all times, Martin being two people at the same time in a situational comedic perspective (just the way he'll move around in the film at times)... and the plot does actually do alright holding up together, which is a feat, although being such a silly notion to start with, it does drag on a bit.But this surely isn't the best Martin-Reiner, and although they maybe should've thought about it a bit more, it's still a watchable absurd-type comedy.5.5/10.

Sometimes it's a pure joy to revisit some films and All Of Me is one of them. Made some 16 years ago, the story is about Edwina Cuttwater, an eccentric but dying millionaire, played by Lily Tomlin who has devised a plan to stay alive by transferring her soul to a younger woman's body. Steve Martin plays Roger Cobb, a lawyer who inadvertently becomes the host instead after a mishap with the transfer. Now with the Edwina's soul controlling his right hand side, Cobb, must figure out a way to get rid of her.The film actually starts off very straight, there's barely a laugh to be had and it isn't until the transfer of the soul that the fun begins. There are some very funny moments thanks to the excellent physical comedy of Steve Martin, with the idea that half of Cobb's body being control by Edwina- i.e. - a woman made very realistic with an array of comic movements, gestures and vocal changes all perfectly timed. Martin is a fine comic actor, but I think this is a really excellent performance from him as it shows what a comic he is. Lily Tomlin does well, even if she is just voice for much of the film, but the combining of the two leads works extremely well.The film does move at break neck speed, which helps, I still struggle to understand why more films can't be made at the 90 minute mark. Despite it's age the film's special effects are very good, if in indeed there are any: when Cobb looks in a mirror he sees Edwina and whether this is done, literally with the trick of mirrors or with special camera effects it works very well and I couldn't pick it at all. This is a perfect reminded of how good some films from the 80's are and it still remains a standout and funny film.More of my reviews at my site: iheartfilms.weebly.com

The theme of this screwball comedy is basically similar to that in the escapist car chase comedy "Thelma and Louise". We have a single woman this time, instead of a duo, who has missed out on nearly all the fun things in life, despite being rich in money. Thus, she hires a transcendentalist, while she lays dying, to transfer her soul into the body of a young beautiful healthy woman, with the hope of living a fun fulfilling life the second time around. Unfortunately, this transfer process goes wrong and she ends up dominating one side of Steve Martin's brain. You can imagine the comedic potential of this situation, which at times Martin does a great job exploiting.In the case of "Thelma and Louise", we have a potentially much more realistic situation, with the bored women getting their kicks over a few days before disappearing over a cliff. In the present film, the comedic potential is greater, with Lily Tomlin's character having fun making Martin look like an uncoordinated fool. After then briefly inhabiting half the brain of another man, she makes amends with Martin as she transfers into the body of his girlfriend. Seems she can dominate only one side of a man's brain, but all the brain of a woman. Actually, the film could have been a lot funnier if she had been transferred to more men with comedic potential, including Martin's law firm boss, and if she had ended up in the body of Martin's disbelieving wife instead of that of his glamorous girlfriend. The first part of the film could have been mostly dispensed with, as things didn't get interesting until the soul transfer scene. The last scene, in which Martin and Tomlin get into a crazy improvised dance and eventually end up together on the floor, was a great way to end.