Bluebeard's Last Stand

Once again, the nebbishy Malvin Stark gets to step into his alter ego, PI Gil Yates, and escape the doldrums of his Southern California life and marriage to Dorcas (aka Tyranny Rex) into some breezy shenanigans among the rich and venal. Hired by Harvey Cavendish, pricey PI Gil (Unlucky Seven, 1997) takes a three-week cruise in order to keep an eye on Harvey's 76-year-old mother, Harriet, who's being wooed by the Reginald Windsor, who has a history of loving, leaving and possibly murdering wealthy women. Enjoying the penthouse cabin next to Harriet and Reginald, Gil will get paid only if Harriet returns from the cruise alive, preferably unmarried or at least with a prenuptial agreement protecting Harvey's inheritance. While becoming friendly with the couple, Gil also succumbs to the attentions of Sophia Romanoff, who pursues him relentlessly. Reginald proposes marriage, panicking Gil, who fears for Harriet's safety and his own fee. With its cast of self-interested, unappealing characters, the thin plot is only slightly redeemed when Gil, Harriet, Reginald and Sophia gather on a slippery deck for some picture taking and an amusing if somewhat predictable finale. Although this is supposed to be wicked humor of the wink-and-nod variety, the laughs are cheap and not nearly as frequent or as sharp as they need to be to keep this ship afloat. (June)