Today, most people know John G. Avildsen for directing classics like Rocky, The Karate Kid, and Lean on Me. Like many great filmmakers, Avildsen came from humble beginnings, having been an assistant director for Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger. His directorial debut was 1969’s Turn on to Love, followed by Guess What We Learned in School Today? in 1970. That same year, his film Joe, starring Peter Boyle and a then-unknown Susan Sarandon, was a surprise hit. On a $106,000 budget, the film grossed over $19 million and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. While working on Joe, Avildsen became friends with a young college graduate named Lloyd Kaufman, who was getting his start. They decided to start working on a film based on Michael Brett’s novel Lie a Little, Die a Little. In August 1971, Avildsen’s Cry Uncle made its way onto the big screen.
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Synopsis
Private investigator Jake Masters (Allen Garfield) meets with Cora Merrill (Madeleine Le Roux), whose boss has a job for him. Her boss is eccentric billionaire Jason Dominic (David Kirk), who wants Jake to help him with someone who’s blackmailing him. A cocktail waitress named Lucille Reynolds died, and it’s believed Dominic killed her because she tried extorting him for $50,000. With Merrill and his nephew/assistant Keith (Devin Goldenberg), Masters has to figure out just what is going on. While Jake takes a more civil approach to getting information, Cora gets violent instead, making him nervous. Along the way, Masters tracks down various prostitutes connected to Reynolds and sleeps with them for information. Before long, Masters and Merrill start a relationship despite her previous marriage, but things seem out of place. Will Jake be able to crack the case, or will he end up having to cry uncle?
Review
Before going forward, I should mention that I had never heard of the book, let alone read it. Admittedly, if this film didn’t have the talent attached that it did, Cry Uncle would’ve been largely forgotten. However, because future Oscar winner John G. Avildsen directed it, this film is worth seeking out for curious viewers. On that note, it’s also worth watching to see an early appearance by the late Paul Sorvino as a cop. Aside from that, this film is pretty clunky, with many jokes not landing and a heavy reliance on nudity. To the film’s credit, the cast is filled with some decent performances, particularly from Garfield and Le Roux. Garfield sells the part of a snarky detective who is good in bed despite his appearance. Le Roux makes for a great femme fatale and works great off of Garfield and Goldenberg.
The film tries to parody many tropes in noir and detective films but rarely does it land. For instance, there’s a running gag about correctly spelling someone’s name early on, and it gets old fast. Also, another running gag involves a character with the last name “Caulk” that everyone constantly brings up. It’s unfortunate because there is an engaging mystery going on that you want to follow along with. Sure, it can get convoluted with how so many people betray each other, but that’s par for the course. Granted, some jokes push some boundaries, but those end up being the funniest just for the shock value. Much like The Battle of Love’s Return, it’s a silly comedy made by a first-timer who went further. Overall, Cry Uncle may not be one of the best comedies, but it’s one of the more interesting.
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