ILLEGALLY YOURS

US, 1988, 102 minutes, Colour.
Rob Lowe, Colleen Camp, Harry Carey Jr, Kenneth Mars.
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Illegally Yours is a pleasant comedy farce directed by Peter Bogdanavich. It seems that he was trying to re-create, In the late '80s, something of what he had done for comedy with What's Up, Doc.

Rob Lowe has a bumbling kind of role, bespectacled, in the manner of Ryan O'Neal in What's Up, Doc?. However, the film lacks a Barbra Streisand. Colleen Camp looks suitably bewildered as the put-upon heroine. And there are quite a lot of comic turns in the supporting cast which includes Kenneth Mars.

The setting is Florida, murders and mix-up, bags, cassette tapes, all kinds of farcical mix-ups as well as a court case, an exasperated judge. The film, pleasant in itself, is no great shakes as a classic screwball comedy for the '80s.

1. Enjoyable farce, comedy, U.S. manners, an attempted screwball comedy in the '80s?

2. Florida locations, the style, musical score, the range of songs, Johnny Cash singing the final credits song with a focus on gambling?

3. The title and law and romance?

4. The familiarity of the plot, conventions of the genre, mistakes, various loose ends, clues and red herrings? Complexity, timing? Misunderstandings?

5. The prologue and the complexity of the deaths, the witnesses? Motivations? The voice-over with Richard telling the story? Sufficient information, puzzle, involvement?

6. Rob Lowe as Richard: his story, his life, relationship with Sonia, finding her with the man, driving home, the mishaps with the car, Wally driving him, his mother's love for him, the money? In comparison with Andrew and his style? Freddie and the police at home? Support at home: cars, money, the fights? The final exasperation? His mother's support? The photos with the happy ending and the notice for Richard's, house?

7. Richard and his plans, the jury work, failure to get out of it, infatuation with Molly, lying about the jury and knowing her, the puzzle about her prosecution, following her, Molly and her trying to sell cable television, his disguising himself as the judge's wife, the farce, losing his shoe? The girls and their help, continually turning up? Keeler and the thugs? Overhearing things, in the castle, falling into the moat? The judge attacking him? The cassette, Andrew taking it? Playing the cassette in the shop, the thugs, Andrew losing his job? In court, the jury's verdict, the escape? Going to the market to find the cassette and the helmet? The Fountain of Youth? The chase, the bus? Trying to get the statue In the crate? The happy ending? His resolving the mystery? The hero, in love with Molly?

8. Molly and the breaking off of the affair, her arrival at the house, the shot and the postman? The case, her anger in court, the evidence? Her work and trying to sell cable television? Donald and the search, her puzzle? The 'guilty' verdict? The escape, collaborating with Richard, the memories of him at school? The happy ending?

9. The two girls as witnesses, in the court, with Richard, turning up and helping, surveying, working with Andrew, their identities, the blackmail, the truth? ,

10. Ruth and Donald, the affair, the shooting, in court, with the thugs, their plans against Keeler, in court, Donald and his evidence, Ruth and her evidence, his approach to Molly, the guns? Come-uppance?

11. The thugs and the plot, the continued chases, the search, come-uppance?

12. Keeler and the fort, his eccentricity, wealth, his daughter?

13. Richard's mother, love for her son, exasperation, Wally in the house and his pleasantness, helping with the cars, Freddie and the police, chasing Richard? Andre-w as the younger brother. angry with Richard, helping him?

14. The various bags, tapes, statues, cars, guns? Frantic farce? Enjoyable?