You won't be disappointed!

As Good As It Gets

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Undercover cop Arliss Howard is used to Plain Clothes assignments, but usually those are indeed assigned. He goes undercover on his own to find out the murderer of one of the high school faculty. The victim falls dead in his classroom and the cops have arrested student Loren Dean for the murderer. But Dean is Howard's brother and Howard starts his own investigation by going back to high school where he becomes popular when he accidentally punches out Principal Robert Stack. There's a treasure trove of suspects among the faculty which includes Diane Ladd, Abe Vigoda, George Wendt, and Suzy Amis. The students also have suspects such as school bully Peter Dobson. Plain Clothes will yield a few laughs for most moviegoers. The climax which was staged at a carnival seems to have been borrowed in part from Some Came Running and Abbott&Costello Go To Hollywood.I'll let you watch and see who the real murderer is and which film you think inspired the final chase scene.

"Plain Clothes" is a great quirky mystery-comedy. Don't let the lack of fame detract you from from viewing this little 80's gem. I carried an old homemade VHS tape of it for years before finally securing a factory-made copy from an Amazon reseller. Fans of the flick frequently lobby for a DVD release.Arliss Howard is perfect as Nick Dunbar, a 'young-looking' undercover detective who must go 'plain clothes' into an odd high school to find evidence to clear his brother on a murder rap. Turns out the staff at this school are all a bit wacky and include the likes of George Wendt, Dianne Ladd, Abe Vigoda, Harry Shearer and Robert Stack (over a live PA system: "Is this thing on? Now bombing Moscow"). No shortage of suspects.Add to this: Nick doesn't like teens or kids - never did - never was one himself, apparently! He draws the ire of the local 'frat' boys, who don't know what they're up against. And watch for a hilarious scene in which Nick decides to convince everyone that he's for real by presenting his 'metaphor' homework. ahem. Language class was never like this in my town.

This is one of those films that I watched on a Saturday afternoon when there was nothing else on, & man, am I glad I did.Arliss Howard plays a young detective who must go undercover at a high school in order to clear his younger brother of a murder accusation. Seems straightforward enough, but this film actually tosses in some plot twists that make the viewer have to pay attention. The movie is punctuated by its quirky sense of humour (look for the quick visual gag "Free at Last!" in Robert Stack's office!!) & a refusal to take itself seriously. Adding to the charm of this are excellent performances by Robert Stack, Suzy Amis, Diane Ladd, George Wendt, Seymour Cassel, Reginald VelJohnson, & a howlingly deadpan performance by the great Abe Vigoda!This film will never win any awards, but the cast are solid & the script is funny. It's a tad more grown-up & far less preachy than most of the '80s pap that garnered all the attention, & if anyone's looking for a good popcorn-muncher that'll give a few good laughs, try this one on for size.

The first time I saw Plain Clothes was a coincidence. Changing channels on a Saturday night and finding (and sticking with) this movie. It is an eighties high school comedy with a funny little cross over to thriller.Watching B-movies is fun and I do it lots. I have no high expectations and I don't pay a fee to go to the movies and end up wanting my money back. In the nineties there is a growing tendency of B-movies being etremely violent, groce and "bloody". Film makers are trying to be noticed among the hundreds of B-movies made every year by going over the top making their movie "special". My point? Well, not every movie will win an oscar or go into history as a classic, a box-office success or a cult-movie. My point is that this is fine! But people don't seem to understand that one can make a nice movie without having the greatest script or actors of all time, or the money to do Star Wars-like gimmicks. To me Plain Clothes is a perfect B-movie. A nice, simple story, nice actors, funny here and there and quite entertaining. I have watched it now a couple of times and it is still fun! With the cop entering the school as a "thug" (as his little brother calls him). His change into the cool guy. His methaphore-poetry. His romance with the teacher. George ("NORM!!!") Wendt as the insane teacher/bad guy. A good climax. I love the Godfather saga, One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. the Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, etc., but that doesn't mean that a movie that isn't in this category flunks. Plain Clothes is, plain and simple, a nice, ok movie. Average, may be, but fun average and that is more than I can say of zillions of movies (starring "stars" like Pamela Anderson or Arnold Schwarzenegger).