In "Never a Dull Moment" Dick van Dyke is mistaken for a deadly killer (and why not? A story has to start someplace; and what's a man who enjoys killing supposed to look like, anyway?)
Shanghaied into Edward G. Robinson's extremely diverse gang, he's let in on their plans. Then then the real killer van Dyke is supposed to be shows up (in the form of Jack Elam--you see, if they'd had the Internet they might have checked up and found Elam's picture, eliminating van Dyke's character from the get-go).
In fact, van Dyke might not have lasted long had he not run into Robinson's art teacher, played by Dorothy Provine. Naturally, she distrusts van Dyke at first but once she realizes Robinson plans to kill her because she knows too much, she throws in with Dick and together they try to find a way out of their predicament.
The good: Dick van Dyke. He shows us his entire bag of athletic tricks, and all his faces. He never fared well with movies. In good ones ("Mary Poppins") he could be underwhelming. Mostly, his movie choices were poor. Still, in this movie his personality is still at its most winning.
Dorothy Provine. She lit up several major motion pictures ("It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"; "The Great Race"; "That Darn Cat"; etc.) and however big a movie was, it never swallowed her. It was disappointing when she walked away from the business.
Disney. Their live-action movies always looked clean.
The story is about art theft; and some of its wry take on modern art is hilarious.
The movie also has an amazing supporting cast, some of whom pull their weight, but not all.
Yet this movie has a big down side. The bulk of it takes place in the crooks' hideout, and in the museum. This gives it a claustrophobic feel. It needed to open out more. It's not " The Thomas Crown Affair."
Worst of all, it has an underlying tone of violence. Robinson slaps one guy a lot. I don't like that (the same thing bothered me in a movie called "The Busy Body."
Oh, it's good that a very real threat of danger hung over the movie "That Darn Cat" but it was not so explicitly done. Children and parents in that day could take it. Children these days and parents are snowflakes. The actual physical violence makes its threat of violence to the protagonists more tangible; and it keeps it from being like the dreary, too-sanitized Disney flicks of the 1970s, unenjoyed by both children and parents. Nevertheless, it's not pleasant seeing one person hit another.
Overall, despite the fascinating cast, not enough happens, until the end, to interest short twenty-first century minds. I hate seeing van Dyke's and Provine's performances go to waste, but this movie is skippable. Too bad.
Shanghaied into Edward G. Robinson's extremely diverse gang, he's let in on their plans. Then then the real killer van Dyke is supposed to be shows up (in the form of Jack Elam--you see, if they'd had the Internet they might have checked up and found Elam's picture, eliminating van Dyke's character from the get-go).
In fact, van Dyke might not have lasted long had he not run into Robinson's art teacher, played by Dorothy Provine. Naturally, she distrusts van Dyke at first but once she realizes Robinson plans to kill her because she knows too much, she throws in with Dick and together they try to find a way out of their predicament.
The good: Dick van Dyke. He shows us his entire bag of athletic tricks, and all his faces. He never fared well with movies. In good ones ("Mary Poppins") he could be underwhelming. Mostly, his movie choices were poor. Still, in this movie his personality is still at its most winning.
Dorothy Provine. She lit up several major motion pictures ("It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"; "The Great Race"; "That Darn Cat"; etc.) and however big a movie was, it never swallowed her. It was disappointing when she walked away from the business.
Disney. Their live-action movies always looked clean.
The story is about art theft; and some of its wry take on modern art is hilarious.
The movie also has an amazing supporting cast, some of whom pull their weight, but not all.
Yet this movie has a big down side. The bulk of it takes place in the crooks' hideout, and in the museum. This gives it a claustrophobic feel. It needed to open out more. It's not " The Thomas Crown Affair."
Worst of all, it has an underlying tone of violence. Robinson slaps one guy a lot. I don't like that (the same thing bothered me in a movie called "The Busy Body."
Oh, it's good that a very real threat of danger hung over the movie "That Darn Cat" but it was not so explicitly done. Children and parents in that day could take it. Children these days and parents are snowflakes. The actual physical violence makes its threat of violence to the protagonists more tangible; and it keeps it from being like the dreary, too-sanitized Disney flicks of the 1970s, unenjoyed by both children and parents. Nevertheless, it's not pleasant seeing one person hit another.
Overall, despite the fascinating cast, not enough happens, until the end, to interest short twenty-first century minds. I hate seeing van Dyke's and Provine's performances go to waste, but this movie is skippable. Too bad.