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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Play trailer Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid PG 1982 1h 28m Comedy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
When a famous cheese maker dies in a freak car crash, his daughter (Rachel Ward) is convinced that it was no accident. She thinks he was murdered for his top-secret cheese recipes. To prove her theory, she hires detective Roy Reardon (Steve Martin). His quest to find out what happened to the missing man brings him face-to-face with movie legends, actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd and Burt Lancaster, via footage from classic film noir and crime films.
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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

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Critics Consensus

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is more eleaborate pastiche than uproarious comedy, but the farce works thanks to the sly lampooning of Hollywood noir and Steve Martin's performance as a goofy gumshoe.

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Critics Reviews

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Bob Thomas Associated Press 11/12/2018
The novelty value wears thin, and attention wanders as the plot turns grow more obscure. But there are enough outrageous gags to please the faithful. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews May 22
1/4
...a predominantly tedious (and frequently interminable) misfire... Go to Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap May 11
2/5
A one-gimmick idea is not enough to sustain a whole movie, as Steve Martin (sorta) interacts with classic movie stars in this gumshoe parody/homage directed by Carl Reiner. Go to Full Review Peter Stack San Francisco Examiner 11/11/2021
3/4
Although the gimmick wears thin, the production holds up remarkably well because Martin delivers the funny goods with wry ease. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 09/24/2021
2/4
What should have been a godsend for anyone who worships film noir (raising my hand here) proves instead to be a crushing disappointment. Go to Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) 08/27/2019
The absence of novelty is compensated by its original development. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Harry H. @Movies10 May 28 Its funny how people complain how some films are like watching scenes from other movies but with Dead Men dont where plaid you are watching scenes from other movies. See more Mark H @RT99794489 Nov 30 Meh. Maybe cute...and good to see old school major Hollywood actresses in their prime...but not really a comedy, unless 'awkward' is a subcategory. See more Alain E @AlainE Nov 20 This is a playful exercise in cinematic history. Steve Martin is a film noir private eye who is investigating the suspicious death of a prominent scientist/cheese maker at the request of his seductive daughter. On this basic story quite successfully the filmmakers grafted pieces from previous movies from the canon, thus giving a second life to Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Joan Crawford and numerous other stars of historic Hollywood. The present film is shot in black and white which makes the transition smoother, although of course some of the old stock has significantly more grain. Overall the result is quite pleasant. According to Wikipedia the title refers to a scene that it was ultimately cut from the movie! Don’t worry. This is not the only inconsistency being served. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 06/20/2025 Minus the careless plotting with a faltering screenplay that would sometimes rely on laughable deliverance, it’s an admirably crafted experiment in an unconsidered worthwhile form with transportive, keen dedication. Although, in order to have that sort of engaging effect it seems more on insisting that you watched the noir genre frequently than converting towards further discovery, otherwise the experiment will be mediocrely received but will nonetheless intrigue. (B-) See more Stephen C @bob25009 05/30/2025 Funny in just 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Farah R @Farah 05/08/2025 A film so ambitious and wittingly executed, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is an outrageously creative and fun comedy. The story gets a little jumbled along the way but the movie never ceases the chance for a good gag. It’s definitely worth watching. See more Read all reviews
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

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Cast & Crew

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Carl Reiner

Director

Steve Martin

Rigby Reardon

Rachel Ward

Juliet Forrest

Carl Reiner

Field Marshall VonKluck

Reni Santoni

Carlos Rodriguez

George Gaynes

Dr. Forrest

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Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When a famous cheese maker dies in a freak car crash, his daughter (Rachel Ward) is convinced that it was no accident. She thinks he was murdered for his top-secret cheese recipes. To prove her theory, she hires detective Roy Reardon (Steve Martin). His quest to find out what happened to the missing man brings him face-to-face with movie legends, actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Alan Ladd and Burt Lancaster, via footage from classic film noir and crime films.
Director
Carl Reiner
Producer
David V. Picker, William McEuen
Screenwriter
Carl Reiner, George Gipe, Steve Martin
Production Co
Aspen Film Society, Universal Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 11, 2015
Runtime
1h 28m
Sound Mix
Stereo