The Woman in Red

Review by Clint Morris

Gene Wilder was fantastic. Well, is fantastic, but we just don’t see enough of him anymore. Unlike a lot of today’s comic-stars, he could pop up in the lousiest comedy on release, and he’d still bring something to it.

Without the frizzy-haired talent, “The Woman in Red” (1984) would’ve been little more than a showreel for a promising model, a vehicle to sell Stevie Wonder songs, and a film that’s script seems to have been blown off by the wind mid-way through production.

But thankfully Wilder is in it, and that’s why it was/is so easy to endure.

You can probably sum the film’s plot up in a sentence: Confused married-man starts treading dangerous ground when he implements an affair with a stunning English model.

There’s a few good gags in here – Charles Grodin has a wonderful moment, playing Wilder’s gay buddy, in a bar, where he pretends he’s blind – and a great musical score – Wonder’s hit “I Called Just to Say I Love You”, was written for the pic - but mostly, it’s a vanilla template that’s made slightly tastier thanks to some Wilder topping.

Conclusion: Movie 60% Extras: 0%