I found this movie to be extremely funny. The movie is loaded with iconic actors. It parodies several Bogart films with great humor. The dialogue's are sometimes a little obtuse if you don't know which movies they are coming from. Mostly older film noir movies before a lot of people were born. Peter Falk gets the lead here and is very good as a Bogie impersonator. Several women come and go through out the film, always interacting with Falk and they supply a lot of the funny lines and lead ins. There are just so many actors in this that I could probably fill the line requirement just listing them but I think Madeline Kahn, John Houseman, and Dom DeLuise deserve a mention. At the end it is learned that all the bodies are the result of one widow's (after she kills her husband) poor shooting. She is trying to bump off the women who come in contact with Falk and shoots like a blind person.

There are lots of stars in this film and all are very funny.Lots of women and they all are attracted to Peter Falk, the Cheap detective whose partner was murdered.The scenes in the beginning are very funny. 5 people are killed and they all die in the position they were in when it happened and they all are shot in the head. Their eyes were open as if they were still alive and if they were reading the paper or drinking that is the position they died in with the glass or paper still in their hand.I would have rated it higher there was no swearing accept for a minor word like "ass" no sexual stuff either. One hour and 26 minutes into the film Louise Fletcher who plays Fernando Lamas' wife tell Peter Falk to "give him the God D mn papers"- to her husband.This I found very offensive so I rated it low. There was no reason for swearing God's name. The movie was about 1 hr 32 minutes it was almost over and quite funny, I won't watch it again unless I could remove those few minutes in the film.

If Humphrey Bogart could have seen The Cheap Detective he'd have loved every minute of it. I counted satirical moments from The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not as well as other noir classics that Neil Simon cleverly worked into a plot that makes no rational sense, but will keep you glued to the chair with laughter.Bogey would have liked Peter Falk's spot on impersonation of the detective from the wrong side of the tracks. Falk is always a player with one amazing bag of tricks whether he's serious as in Murder, Inc., or funny as in Robin and the Seven Hoods or a bit of both as in The Brink's Job.Not since It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World had so many funny people gathered together for one film. Even normally serious actors like Fernando Lamas and Nicol Williamson seem to be having a ball just hamming it up. My favorite aside from Falk is Eileen Brennan as Betty DeBoop. How can you go wrong with a name like that.You can't describe any kind of plot, the whole thing is so much wonderful nonsense. Just sit back and enjoy.

Following closely on the heels of the hilarious "Murder By Death" and using a few of the same actors, is Neil Simon's classic spoof and tribute to the film noir detective pictures of Humphrey Bogart. With the comedy talents of Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn, James Coco, Paul Williams and many more the combined spoof of "Casablanca," "The Maltese Falcon" and "San Francisco" are a true screen gem. As always, the film features the witty dialog of Neil Simon, who captures the flavor and pokes gentle fun at those films. There are also several running gags throughout the film such as the miserliness of Falk's character, from which the movie gets its title. Falk perfectly deflates the characters played by Bogie in the afore mentioned films, while Madeline Kahn is over the top as the mysterious women with a different name each time he sees her. Louise Fletcher films in perfectly as the heroine from Casablanca, while Fernando Lamas is her resistance fighter husband. And John Houseman shines as the double of the Sidney Greenstreet Character. Finally there is Niccol Williamson as the Nazi colonel from Casablanca. If you love good comedy, or enjoyed those Bogart movies, this is the perfect film for you