Undercover cop Arliss Howard is used to Plain Clothes assignments, but usually those are indeed assigned. He goes undercover on his own to find out the murderer of one of the high school faculty. The victim falls dead in his classroom and the cops have arrested student Loren Dean for the murderer. But Dean is Howard's brother and Howard starts his own investigation by going back to high school where he becomes popular when he accidentally punches out Principal Robert Stack. There's a treasure trove of suspects among the faculty which includes Diane Ladd, Abe Vigoda, George Wendt, and Suzy Amis. The students also have suspects such as school bully Peter Dobson. Plain Clothes will yield a few laughs for most moviegoers. The climax which was staged at a carnival seems to have been borrowed in part from Some Came Running and Abbott&Costello Go To Hollywood.I'll let you watch and see who the real murderer is and which film you think inspired the final chase scene.

This is one of those films that I watched on a Saturday afternoon when there was nothing else on, & man, am I glad I did.Arliss Howard plays a young detective who must go undercover at a high school in order to clear his younger brother of a murder accusation. Seems straightforward enough, but this film actually tosses in some plot twists that make the viewer have to pay attention. The movie is punctuated by its quirky sense of humour (look for the quick visual gag "Free at Last!" in Robert Stack's office!!) & a refusal to take itself seriously. Adding to the charm of this are excellent performances by Robert Stack, Suzy Amis, Diane Ladd, George Wendt, Seymour Cassel, Reginald VelJohnson, & a howlingly deadpan performance by the great Abe Vigoda!This film will never win any awards, but the cast are solid & the script is funny. It's a tad more grown-up & far less preachy than most of the '80s pap that garnered all the attention, & if anyone's looking for a good popcorn-muncher that'll give a few good laughs, try this one on for size.

It has some very funny lines..and he isnt that bad too look at either...i think it was a 4 out of 10 ever all.. but i probable would watch it agin...I was just a little confused because i didnt watch it from the beginnign...so you really do have to watch the whole thing to underastand it...but it was good...no rotten apples here.!!!lol...ok..i have to have ten lines so...ill...talk...about ....somethin.....else....lol...... ok ill talk about nothin.. ok ok ok much love....steff

A sweet little film that's fun to watch. Arliss Howard's comedic talent is unappreciated and underestimated. He is assisted by fine veteran actors who look as if they are having a whale of a good time. The writing is surprisingly good for a low-budget flick.