Radioland Murders (1994)

Radioland Murders (Universal, PG) Damn funny British comedian-director Mel Smith (The Tall Guy) directed this darn unfunny, Noises Off-ish murder mystery set in 1939 on the debut night of a new radio network. Which makes sense: Dry- witted Brits are the only ones with a hope in hell of turning the recurring motif of being bopped in the face by a swinging door into something halfway amusing. Unfortunately, the script of this swinging-door-filled farce is strictly, flatfoot- edly American. It's not helped by the exertions of Brian Benben, who, in the lead role, appears to have cloned Martin Tupper, his apoplectic Dream On character. A parade of usually reliable talent stumbles behind him-hypnotized, perhaps, by the fact that George Lucas Himself came up with the story: Mary Stuart Masterson, Ned Beatty, Michael McKean, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Lloyd, Robert Klein, and the late Anita Morris are among Radioland's victims. D -LS

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