All of Me (1984)

 Love Lily Tomlin, but not this time.
I bought this after watching a biography on Steve Martin's career and this was listed as one of his great performances. I always liked Lily Tomlin and thought Steve was a good actor for some crazy parts like The Jerk. But this movie just didn't do it for me, too slapstick. April 17, 2008

 All of Me
Very funny dvd - about the after life. Steve Martin plays the part of a solicitor that become 1/2 possessed by the dead Lily. Very funny to watch and will have you rolling around on the floor in parts. April 6, 2008

 Martin at His Physically Antic Peak in a Hilarious Screwball Fantasy Farce
As his recently published memoir, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life, reminds me, Steve Martin catapulted to mainstream mega-success by bringing zeitgeist freshness onto the comedy scene. When he first transitioned to the big screen, he had quite a productive partnership going with director and fellow comic actor Carl Reiner beginning with his yuk-fest film debut, The Jerk (1979), continuing with the noir film-clip-oriented Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) and the sci-fi farce The Man with Two Brains (1983), and then peaking with this 1984 farce, sadly their last collaboration. Captured in a surprisingly clean version on this 1999 DVD, this is still one of the funniest movies of the 1980's simply because its innately silly concept is executed with side-splitting freshness and a great amount of heart.

Written by Phil Alden Robinson (who went on to write and direct the definitive fantasy-laden paean to lost fathers, Field of Dreams), the plot concerns Roger Cobb, an idealistic but unfulfilled lawyer who moonlights as a jazz guitarist. His sympathetic boss assigns him a case to handle the estate of sickly Edwina Cutwater, a wealthy eccentric who has decided to have Prahka Lasa, a daffy Tibetan meditation master, transfer her soul into the body of Terry Hoskins, the stableman's comely daughter. That way, Edwina can enjoy life anew in Terry's youthful body while Terry's soul becomes part of the universe. Roger understandably doesn't buy this, but before he can quit the case, he accidentally becomes the recipient of Edwina's soul upon her sudden death in his firm's office. The fun begins in earnest when Roger and Edwina both inhabit the two halves of Roger's body, a comically disastrous situation with their respective sensibilities at war. Needless to say, further complications ensue.

As Roger, Martin shows that he was one of the most adroit physical actors around with his masterfully antic performance, especially when Edwina first enters Roger's body on the sidewalk and then in inevitably complex scenes involving the men's room and later a lovemaking session. As snooty but vulnerable Edwina, Lily Tomlin has less to do since her voiceover primarily dictates the scenes after the soul transference, but she is still a hilarious match for Martin when they battle for domination over Roger's bodily movements. In probably the most politically incorrect role since Mickey Rooney's Japanese neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Richard Libertini is downright hilarious as the swami as he seems to make up his own catchphrases on the spot ("Bakinbowl! Bakinbowl!"). Madolyn Smith has one funny scene as Roger's venal fiancée Peggy, and I only wish she could have switched roles with Victoria Tennant, who as Terry, is the film's only marginal disappointment with her stiff manner too much at odds with the rest of the comically dexterous cast. The liberating dance under the closing credits is one of the best endings to any movie comedy. Unfortunately, other than the original theatrical trailer, there are no extras with the current DVD on the market. January 7, 2008

 What woman hasn't wanted to know what a man was thinking?
How exactly do you get alone time when you have someone sharing your body? Wait until they fall asleep, duh!
My favorite is Steve Martin sauntering down the street with Lily Tomlin in control of one very feminine looking hand. These two have a lot to teach each other about how to live life and they sure will if they ever stop bickering. December 14, 2007

 *Good + Fun Movie*
A delight to see this movie.It was good and kept me interested.Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin were great together.Anyone can enjoy this. December 13, 2007

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