Levy can't seem to tell if something is funny or not and keeps up the sledgehammer intensity throughout every scene, comic subtlety and timing abandoned in a desperate attempt for laughs--even pained ones.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
For about 15 seconds at the beginning, the new MGM film Once Upon a Crime is a thorough delight. Then that adorable little lion stops roaring.
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
The cast of Once Upon a Crime performs energetically, as if the material was funny, although most of the time it is not. As a general rule, films whose plots revolve around lost dogs are apt to be short on comic inspiration, and this one is no exception.
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
This frothy little comedy is a pleasant enough amusement. It's not a big belly-laugh of a comedy, but it's quickly paced, fun and entertaining.
Los Angeles Times by Michael Wilmington
Though it doesn't really work, there are enjoyable things about it.
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
Few pictures that start this well go so bad so fast. [7 March 1992, p.C3]