There is an argument to be made that The Cheap Detective is one of the funniest films of the 1970s, but one that isn’t as widely discussed as it should be. One of the lesser-known projects by the incredible and deservedly iconic Neil Simon, this film seems to have been lost to time, which is disappointing, since it is a genuinely hilarious film that traverses that narrow boundary between intelligent satire and over-the-top spoof, in the way that we simply don’t see films approaching humour anymore. Understandably, this film came about during one of Simon’s most prolific eras – several of his plays were turned into films in the 1970s, with the playwright himself often serving as the screenwriter, bringing his own work to the screen, and it isn’t a film that carries the emotional or social weight of some of his more resonant stories, which have become indelible in the culture. However, as much as it is a very different premise from what Simon was known for, what it lacks in nuance it more than compensates for in unhinged brilliance, being the kind of departure that serves to actually show the artist doing something different, rather than retreading many of the same themes that made him notable in the first place. Helmed by theatre director Robert Moore (who showed incredible promise, and whose untimely demise only a few years after this means that we were robbed of a potentially brilliant voice in American cinema), well-acted by a large ensemble of familiar faces and superbly written, featuring the same wit and candour as anything else Simon worked on throughout his long career, The Cheap Detective is an unexpectedly brilliant comedy that may have a few flaws in terms of realizing its story and bringing it to the screen, but succeeds in perhaps the most important area of all – it genuinely makes us laugh.

As made very clear from the title alone, The Cheap Detective is a spoof of the wildly popular film noir genre, which was at its peak around the time this film is set, going into the 1940s. Throughout the film, Simon makes reference to many of the most iconic films in the genre (as well as other non-detective films, but rather those that were popular at the time), with outright recreations of scenes from films like The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, which makes for thoroughly captivating viewing, as well as being rewarding for viewers have a decent working knowledge of the genre. Spoof films often navigate a very narrow boundary between paying loving homage and mockery, and in recent years, we’ve seen this shift more towards the latter. However, The Cheap Detective shows that it is perfectly possible for a film to be well within the confines of the former, especially when it is being made by someone who has a clear fondness for the material, and the genre in which they are working. This film couldn’t have been made by someone who didn’t have the utmost respect for classic detective fiction, not only because all the right targets in terms of major plot developments are hit, but also that a strong knowledge helps supplement the film by adding in small nuances that can only come from loving the genre enough to write something that captures all the magic, right to the smallest, intricate detail. Parody is often considered one of the highest forms of flattery, and while we have seen many fantastic detective spoofs that are probably better constructed and more iconic (films like Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and Who Framed Roger Rabbit spring immediately to mind), there is a raw insanity to The Cheap Detective that makes it one of the most unexpectedly brilliant entries into this wide genre that takes aim at a kind of film that has proven to be fertile ground for imitation, and continues to be one that influences many filmmakers today.

Something remarkable about The Cheap Detective is that it features one of my personal favourite phenomena – you enter into a film with a vague knowledge of the premise and maybe a general idea of who will be starring in it. Yet, throughout the film, there seems to be an endless array of familiar faces that show up, even if only for a couple of short scenes. The Cheap Detective is a veritable who’s who of comedic actors that defined the 1970s, with some unexpected dramatic actors peppered in for good measure, with a seemingly endless array of familiar faces that would make anyone with an interest in this era of filmmaking very excited. Undeniably a result of being a Neil Simon film (as he was someone who many actors still consider to have written works that continue to be rites of passage for all performers), there is something so special about seeing this wide cast of notable actors appearing across from each other. Peter Falk leads the film (playing on his iconic role as Detective Columbo), playing a very peculiar kind of straight-man – he’s logical and good at his job, but also not the epitome of sanity, having his own deviations into well-curated madness that make him such an endearing character, since he exists in a world occupied by strange people, so it would make sense that he would inherit it as well. The supporting cast is very extensive, each new actor playing a different kind of eccentric character that both fits in with the frantic tone of the film, and leaves a strong impression on its own. The roles are each distinct and unforgettable, and pointing out one standout only serves to ignore another – but as one of the most unexpectedly great casts of its era, The Great Detective knows exactly how to give each one of these iconic performers something memorable to do, which is often a challenge for other ensemble-based films that struggle to harness all the potential from a larger group of performers.

What ultimately makes The Cheap Detective so endearing is that it doesn’t try to do too much, knowing its limits and working well within them, never extending itself beyond where it knows it can reasonably go. This is where the most significant traits of Simon’s writing is made clear, since he had a tendency to always go for a more nuanced style of comedy, where the dialogue was fast-paced but never confusing, and carried depth without being too overwrought. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but Simon does so perfectly, and Moore makes sure to translate this same quality in the visual approach. Each scene is well-placed, and brimming with a madcap energy – we might be able to have a general idea of where the story as a whole is heading (since it is intentionally predictable), but the genius comes in how we can’t quite anticipate where each individual scene is going to take us. In the world of The Cheap Detective, absolutely anything is possible, and the film manages to live up to the broad thesis statement by ensuring every frame is unforgettable. Some of the comedy is quite ahead of its time (and surprisingly, there is very little, if any, humour in this film that can be considered mean-spirited or controversial, surprising for an era where spoof films too artistic licence to be vaguely offensive for the sake of comedy), and some of these jokes are genuinely unexpected. It’s the perfect combination of classic-era vaudeville with the deadpan, forward-facing progressive comedy that Simon often doesn’t get credit for, with most of his reputation resting on his tendency towards very traditional comedy. It’s all strung together in such a perfect, genuinely simple way, it’s difficult to find fault in any of these moments, since the film as a whole is such a triumph of perfectly calibrated comedy.

The Cheap Detective is such a delightful film, we don’t even notice when it is taking a few strange liberties, such as in the case of growing slightly tedious towards the end, after we realize that the multitude of storylines introduced throughout the film can’t possibly be resolved (and while they’re not given closure, they are tied up in a way that is indicative of this film’s brilliance), and everything begins to descend into being slightly repetitive, especially in how gradually it begins to fall apart. However, this isn’t enough to derail the film, since from beginning to end, there is something so profoundly energetic about how it approaches the smallest details, and repurposes them in a way that is both entertaining and oddly gripping. By the end, we’ve become fully invested in this story, which is an even greater accomplishment when we realize how nothing in The Cheap Detective actually makes that much sense – the plot is intentionally vague and nonsensical, the characters are thin archetypes, and the dialogue is rife with cliché. However, this is all purposeful, and allows this film to flourish into an incredibly funny send-up of a genre that isn’t known for its lucidity, but has still gripped audiences for many decades. Grounded by its firm belief that something doesn’t need to make sense to be funny, and propelled by strong writing that elicits genuine laughter and may even provoke some thought, The Cheap Detective is a triumph, and just a wonderfully irreverent comedy with a lot of heart, and an equal amount of intelligence.