
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 7, 1992                   TAG: 9203070184
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

`ONCE UPON A CRIME' MISSES A GOOD OPPORTUNITY

"Once Upon a Crime" is a featherweight little comedy with a few good laughs, though it's never quite as funny as it could have been.

If this story of Monte Carlo, murder and lost dogs had been told with more energy and a sharper focus, it might have been a worthy successor to Blake Edwards' great '60s comedies, "The Pink Panther" and "A Shot In the Dark." But it's not even close.

It all begins with a lost dachshund that neurotic actor Richard Lewis and woman scorned Sean Young (is this type casting, or what?) try to return to its wealthy owner. Along the way they meet businessman James Belushi, who has a foolproof system to beat roulette, and his savvy wife Cybill Shepard. John Candy is another gambler who's married to wealthy Ornella Muti who turns to gigolo George Hamilton after Candy loses control.

When a dead body shows up in a suitcase, police inspector Giancarlo Giannini is called in to solve the case and to steal the movie. His deadpan takes are a real relief from the manic overacting that surrounds him. He's the best Gallic cop to show up on the big screen since Clouseau.

If director Eugene Levy had kept him at the center of the action the movie would have been much stronger and much funnier. But that's what sequels are for. If anybody in Hollywood has the sense to build a comedy around Giannini's character, the result could be brilliant.

`Once Upon a Crime' **: An MGM/Pathe release playing at the Salem Valley 8. Rated PG for mild sexual humor. 90 min.

by CNB