I recently came across this quirky Steven Martin movie called Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). It is not film noir per say and it's not exactly neo-noir. Rather, the best description is a fitting tribute to all noir classics. Wacky, weird and just downright creative, this was quite an enjoyable movie.

Carl Reiner, Steven Martin and George Gipe put their heads together for the main story. The story follows the pattern of typical 1940s crime dramas. Think cynical detective following the case of a missing person for a beautiful and mysterious client. All the usual ingredients, indeed. What makes DMDWP unique is the direction and its spoof factor. The filmmakers have edited in bits of classic noir footage as part of the actual movie. And so you will come across humorous cut scenes between Steven Martin and famous stars like Cary Grant and Humphrey Bograt. Thus, you get cleverly edited scenes between Steve Martin and his so-called partner (this would be the aforementioned Mr. Bogart) where they have bizarre conversations about his tie (or lack thereof)! The best modern comparison is the Kung Pow movie; fans will remember how Oedekerk used bits from old movies and made up a completely new story.

This movie is definitely one of Steve Martin's funniest ventures. It is a must for those who are unfamiliar with Martin's older work and thus, are unaware of the good old days when his work was actually funny. That might seem rather harsh but the man did bury his dignity with cringe-worthy Pink Panther remakes.