Great Movies You've Probably Never Seen: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

I'm starting a new series, which I am entitling "Great Movies You've Never Seen," because, well, title self-explanatory. Now that I have Netflix both in disc and instant format, my combination of "supposed to be studying" and "no job" and "flu that will not die" created the craziest on-going film watching schedule of my life. (A few weeks ago? Hannah Montana: The Movie, OT: Our Town, and Helvetica on the same day.) So much have I watched...that apparently I'm starting to structure my sentences like Yoda. Anyway, in an effort to pretend that this whole obsessive film watching has a purpose, I'm going to make recommendations to you all, with the hopes that someone may benefit from my insane couch potatoing. So! To kick off, I offer you....

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

"You're a smart man."
"So was Abraham Lincoln. Look what happened to him. Smart can get you killed."

First off, I'll give you the wikipedia synopsis:

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Rachel Ward. It is both a parody of, and homage to, film noir and the pulp detective movies of the 1940s and 1950s.

The film is a collage effect of old black and white movie clips from films of the 1940s and 1950s, with more recent footage of Martin and other actors similarly shot in black and white. When everything is put together, the original dialogue and acting becomes part of a completely different (and ridiculous) story. This was the last film for both costume designer Edith Head and composer Miklós Rózsa.

This is a great film. It's really funny in its own right, but if you have any appreciation at all for classic film or noir or both, you will love this. I also think it demonstrates some of Steve Martin's incredible talent. I like so many of his early films -- The Jerk, All of Me, Roxanne, etc. etc. -- but this one is something truly special. Also, the costuming is great because -- HELLO, EDITH HEAD! For those of you who don't realize who that is, if you've seen The Incredibles, she's the inspiration for Edna Mode. She's an amazing costumer, and actually still holds the record for the woman who has won the most Academy Awards -- eight, in total.

The concept is brilliant, the dialogue is funny, the acting is great, and the costuming and set design is seamless. Best of all, it's currently on Netflix list of instant streaming movies, so you can catch it on your computer any time if you've got a Netflix account (or get it on DVD if you perfer). I highly recommend it for some dark and stormy afternoon when you have nothing to do.