smooth_op_85 Lauren is a woman with rich parents who dreams of making it as an actress, Sandy is street smart with the mouth to match. One day Lauren is in a lobby when loud mouthed, crude Sandy comes in and fakes her way into an extension on her phone bill. Lauren later meets Michael who is the dreamboat she's always wanted after swearing off actors. Later we find that Sandy is also involved with Michael. They both find out about each other when they go to the morgue with Michael's "body" and notice...THAT"S NOT MICHAEL! And to make matters worse, people are pursuing them as they go from place to place with one goal in mind: Find Michael and make him choose. So who will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in this case? A great film, refreshingly funny and a great classic buddy comedy of the 80s. Bette Midler and Shelly Long shine brightly in this film. The adventure flows naturally and really feels real enough

Jonathon Dabell Eclectic director Arthur Hiller gives us another movie from his "odd-couple-up-to-their-neck-in-adventure" oeuvre with Outrageous Fortune. The film has obvious similarities to Hiller's earlier hit Silver Streak, and is a clear forerunner to his See No Evil Hear No Evil. In fact, the concept of ordinary characters being caught up in international intrigue found considerable favour during the '70s and '80s – besides the three Arthur Hiller films already mentioned, there's also the likes of Hanky Panky, The Man With One Red Shoe, High Anxiety and Jumpin' Jack Flash (to name but a few).Sandy Brozinsky (Bette Midler) and Lauren Ames (Shelley Long) are members of a New York acting class. They are as opposite as can be – Sandy loud, vulgar and brash; Lauren bookish, tender and sweet. Without knowing it they are both in love with the same man, Michael Sanders (Peter Coyote). When he is seemingly killed in a mysterious explosion, the two distraught lovers discover the truth about each other… and later, when asked to identify his remains, they realise that the body in the morgue is not the Michael Sanders they've shared a bed with for the past few weeks. Thrown together by chance, Sandy and Lauren embark on a cross country odyssey to track down their mystery man. Soon they are up to their necks in international espionage as it becomes clear they are not the only ones searching for Michael Sanders – indeed, the CIA and the KGB want him just as much as they do! The film is put together very slickly, with a fast-moving plot and plenty of snappy one-liners. At this point in her career, Midler was on a hot streak in a series of smash-hit comedies (Down And Out In Beverly Hills and Ruthless People being two of the biggest). Her character here is either flat-out hilarious or horribly annoying, depending on your taste in humour. Long plays it straighter and comes across very likably as the sweeter of the two hoodwinked lovers. Once the plot twists unravel themself, the film loses steam and in its final quarter becomes a disappointingly routine chase movie like any other. But up to that point, Outrageous Fortune is a lot of fun, a feminist variation of all those buddy-buddy flicks so typical of movies from the era. It has energy, vulgarity and attitude - much like its two female protagonists – and if you're looking for an entertainingly easy way to kill 100 minutes, you could do a lot worse.

blanche-2 Bette Midler and Shelley Long star in "Outrageous Fortune," a 1987 comedy also starring Robert Prosky, Peter Coyote, John Schuck, George Carlin and the almost unrecognizable Anthony Heald.Lauren (Long) and Sandy (Midler) are two women taking the same acting class with the brilliant, Stanislavsky-like Korzenowski (Prosky). What they don't know is that they are dating the same man, Michael (Coyote). When he's killed in a bombing, both women wind up at the morgue, and after taking a good look at the body's southern regions, realize it's not their boyfriend. Once they set out to find him, they find that the KGB and the CIA are after them, and they can't tell the good guys from the bad.This is a fun movie, with Midler a scream as a burlesque queen and Long as the uptight, Diane Chambers-like aspiring serious actress. George Carlin plays an Indian who helps them, and he's very funny.There is a lot of running in this film, up hills, leaping across cliffs, etc., as the women try to escape whomever is chasing them at the moment.A very popular film from the '80s, which was Bette Midler's movie heyday. She is a wonderful comedienne and dramatic actress - it's a shame that Hollywood's ageism caused her film career to dry up. Well, also some poor choices such as turning down Sister Act. Long did not make it to true movie stardom, but she is good here. Directed by Arthur Hiller.

Jackson Booth-Millard I did watch this very late at night, 2am till 4am, but I thought it was pretty worth it, from director Arthur Hiller (see No Evil, Hear No Evil). Basically Lauren Ames (Shelley Long) and Sandy Brozinsky (Golden Globe nominated Bette Midler) meet each other in the same acting class, and eventually (after a while) find out that they both share the same lover. But when Michael Sanders (Peter Coyote) disappears and they refuse to believe he is dead, they go on a trip both to find him and find out why they are being chased by bad guys, who turn out to be the CIA. Also starring Robert Prosky as Stanislav Korzenowski, John Schuck as Agent Atkins and George Carlin as Frank Madras. There are many good chase sequences, but it is the comedic moments between Long and particularly Midler that keep you interested. Worth watching!