Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- affectionate
- absurd
- classic movie night
- comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics generally find the elaborate noir pastiche inventive and sly, with Steve Martin’s comic timing making the central editing gag work despite its limited scope.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rigby interacts with scenes and performers drawn from classic films, including Philip Marlowe as his assistant.
The investigation is populated by dangerous figures and situations modeled on 1940s and 1950s detective movies.
The murder inquiry turns on the secret cheese recipe and a list titled The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta.
Newly filmed scenes are shot in black and white so they can be cut together with old movie footage.
Films like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, and why
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
comic pastiche of classic film noir with an exaggerated private eye and elaborate genre parody
Top Secret!
self-aware comedy built from affectionate genre imitation, visual gags, and a deliberately absurd investigation
The Cheap Detective
stylized noir parody combining mystery plotting, deadpan humor, and reverence for older Hollywood crime films
Murder by Death
comic detective story that lampoons noir conventions through eccentric characters and heightened performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Carl Reiner
- Release Date
- 1982-05-21
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (467)
Cast
- Steve Martin
- Rachel Ward
- Alan Ladd
- Carl Reiner
- Barbara Stanwyck
- Ray Milland
- Ava Gardner
- Burt Lancaster
- Humphrey Bogart
- Cary Grant
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid about?
- A goofy private eye pursues a cheese scientist’s suspected murder through a black-and-white collage of classic Hollywood noir.
- What is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid as mild.
- What did critics think of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?
- Critics generally find the elaborate noir pastiche inventive and sly, with Steve Martin’s comic timing making the central editing gag work despite its limited scope.
- Which films are like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Top Secret!, The Cheap Detective, and Murder by Death.
- How long is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?
- Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid?
- In United States, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
