Burglar (1987) Reviews

• Good Movie, perfect WG vehicle.

  glsilva2005-12-24

  I really enjoyed this movie, actually I've enjoyed it a number of viewings. I purchased the DVD. Why did Whoopie stop making movies that were so much fun. I enjoyed the books for which the movie is based, and prefer a woman to a man as a cat burglar. The cast is wonderful, especially Leslie Ann Warren, she is a total hoot. I won't spoil the ending but it was really cool. The atmosphere while they are bar-hopping is so realistic, having been a bar-hopper in my youth in San Francisco. Why isn't Hollywood making these little sleeper hits anymore. Now its all big budget busts, or small artsy fartsy movies. How about a well played mystery without the "Big" named pretty boys and girls as stars. More movies like this and perhaps the box office slump will not stop slumping...

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• Whoopi's Finest

  johnny-w2010-02-05

  Whoopi Goldberg? AND Bobcat Goldthwait? In the same movie?! Well, it's official - my wife owes me $50 - she swore that they were the same person! All kidding aside, folks, this movie is a gem and I'm not sure how I'd overlooked it in the past. I recently got laid off so I have been spending a lot of time around the house doing my wife's Cosmo quizzes and drinking Colt 45. Needless to say, I have a lot of free time to watch movies. So the other day, I walked down to the local video store, and fished around the used VHS bin to see if I could get a steal. I pulled out this movie, thought the cover looked hilarious, and thought I'd give it a try. For only 99 cents (without tax), what could I have to lose? Folks, I would have gladly paid TWICE that amount! This film is truly Goldberg's finest work (and trust me, I love The View! Did I mention that I was laid off?!), and her on-screen chemistry with Goldthwait (Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Hot to Trot) is brilliant. John Goodman (The Babe) adds some extra laughs, making this film a well-rounded comedic masterpiece to be appreciated by all. Why this film is so often ignored, I have no idea. Do yourselves a favor and grab a copy. You won't be "robbed" of a fun experience!

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• You'd, like, steal a building, but not a jar of olive oil?

  dwr2462006-04-10

  Another in a series of comic vehicles for Whoopi Goldberg in the late 80's, this one features a pretty well crafted mystery buried in amongst the comedy. Bernie Rhodenbarr (Whoopi Goldberg) is a cat burglar by trade. She would like to retire into respectability, but unfortunately, Ray Kirschman (G. W. Bailey), a retired police detective who once busted Rhodenbarr, is now blackmailing her into stealing for him. During one of her "jobs" for Kirschman, Bernie is surprised when Christopher Marshall (Stephen Shellen), the man she's stealing from, comes home unexpectedly. Bernie hides in the bedroom closet, but Marshall isn't alone, and when he and his companion decide to hit the sheets, Bernie is trapped there for the night. In the morning, Bernie overhears and argument between Marshall and someone who comes to see him. Then she hears the sounds of a struggle, and then silence. Eventually, she emerges from the closet to find Marshall dead on the floor with a rather strange looking object sticking out of his chest. She leaves, but is ultimately fingered as both a murder and robbery suspect. She spends the rest of the movie trying to clear herself with a little help from sidekick Carl Hefler (Bobcat Goldthwait), all the while eluding two bumbling detectives (John Goodman and Anne DeSalvo), and dealing with Marshall's widow (Leslie Ann Warren) and her attorney (James Handy). Will she find the truth, will Kirschman turn her in, or will the killer do her in? In spite of some occasional far fetched elements, this is actually a pretty well crafted mystery. Rhodenbarr is resourceful, and that resourcefulness not only helps to keep her out of jail as well as allowing her to figure out who really killed Marshall. The story is told in a comic way, but it is quite credible, nonetheless. The acting was quite enjoyable. Goldberg, of course, turns in a masterful performance. Warren's over the top hysterics work well with her character, and show just how much range she has. Goodman and DeSalvo are amusing as the bumbling detectives. Goldthwait and Bailey are rather annoying, as is par for the course with both of them, but they do manage to make their characters work. And Handy's performance is nicely layered between the public face as an upright lawyer, and the private face as a disturbed man capable of shocking violence. Yes, it's a silly movie, but if you look beneath the silliness, you may be surprised to find a well crafted whodunit. And either way, it's just an enjoyable movie.

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• A comedy where the actors, situations and lines outshine the limp plot.

  vb1der2002-06-16

  Burglar is one of the movies on my top 50 funniest movie list. Unlike other reviews here, I rate it higher than Jumping Jack Flash. Perhaps its because this is a great movie for Bobcat's normally irritating character. Strange that there are no quotes for this movie! She and Bobcat have some truly great (although obscene) lines. Whoopie's scene in the closet while the soon-to-be-murdered character was screwing his ex-wife is hilarious. Bobcat has great scenes in the bar delivering a package, and later being interrogated John Goodman in the police station. The actors are all 2-dimensional but that only feeds the comedic aspects of the interaction of the stereotypes. The police-proofed apartment that Whoopie owns is a scream.

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• Poor film that was dated even when it was made and has so few good lines it hurts

  bob the moo2003-06-29

  Bernice Rhodenbarr is a cat burglar and used book shop owner. When an ex-cop comes to her with a threat to hand in evidence that he withheld years ago that would incriminate her, she is forced to do a job for him. She agrees to steal a woman's jewellery back from her ex-husband after a messy split. She carries out the crime but is interrupted and has to hide. When she comes out of hiding she finds the man dead and her bag of jewels gone. In order to clear herself she must find out who would want the man dead before the cops can get to her. There was a time in Whoopi Goldberg's career where they constantly tired to use her smart mouth and streetwise appearance to make her into a female Eddie Murphy. This film appears to be another attempt to use her streetwise wit to good effect. The plot is some form of murder mystery with Bernie being framed and hunted by the police while she tries to catch the real killer. It's nothing we haven't seen before but it's just not very well done here. I struggled to care about the people that Bernie was chasing because I didn't know who they were – partly because the film didn't really explain as most of them are red herrings in preparation for the `twist' at the end. In terms of tension the film is lacking and as a result I never really got into it. On top of this it's main selling point, the smart comedy, is seriously missing. There was one maybe two good lines in it and none of those was delivered by Whoopi. In fact you could be mistaken for thinking this film wasn't a comedy as there are so very few laughs in it. The whole thing feels very dated – I imagine that even when it was released in the cinema people must have looked at it and gone `whoa, that's soooo eighties'! Whoopi is poorly used and is sold short by a very ordinary script, but she does have a good support cast to help her out. Sadly they are all sold short as well. Goldthwait is the only one who is allowed to do anything amusing, Goodman, Warren, Bailey, and Handy are all pretty much window dressing so badly are they used. Overall this film is one from a series of films aiming for the same effect (see Fatal Beauty, Jumpin Jack Flash etc) but here the film totally fails to make good on any of it's assets. The plot is boring and overly convoluted given that we all know it'll turn out to be the least likely main character in the film, and the comedy (usually OK in even average Whoopi films like this) is AWOL. A pretty horrid way to waste 90 minutes – unrelentingly dull.

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