Directed by James Kenelm Clarke | Written by James Kenelm Clarke | Starring Chris Lemmon, Jean Simmons, Lea Thompson
There are movies that make you laugh.
There are movies that make you think.
And then there’s Going Undercover, a movie that makes you question who approved this script, why Lea Thompson is here, and whether the title was a warning that the film would try to quietly disappear after release.
Our alleged hero is Henry Brilliant, a private investigator so spectacularly incompetent he makes a Scooby-Doo villain look like Jason Bourne. Played by Chris Lemmon (yes, Jack Lemmon’s son, proving that talent sometimes skips a generation), Henry is hired to protect Marigold de la Hunt (Lea Thompson) on her trip to Denmark. This seems straightforward, until you remember that Henry Brilliant has all the deductive instincts of a baked potato in a trench coat.
What follows is 90 minutes of awkward hijinks, unfunny pratfalls, international espionage that feels like it was organized by sleep-deprived squirrels, and a “comedic” tone so flat you could serve pancakes on it.
Henry Brilliant: A Master of Nothing
The joke, if you can call it that, is that Henry’s name is “Brilliant” when he clearly isn’t. It’s the cinematic equivalent of naming your Great Dane “Tinkerbell” and expecting that to carry a feature film. Chris Lemmon tries to channel his dad’s comic timing but ends up somewhere between “lost tourist” and “children’s party magician on the verge of a breakdown.”
His approach to investigation includes:
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Hiding in ridiculous disguises,
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Getting beat up by locals,
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And somehow endangering his client at every opportunity.
If he were a real P.I., he’d be sued, deported, and banned from carrying sharp objects within five feet of a minor.
Marigold de la Hunt: Poor Girl Never Stood a Chance
Lea Thompson, coming off her Back to the Future stardom, shows up here as Marigold—a rich stepdaughter who is somehow both too worldly for her age and too naive to recognize that her protector is basically a walking liability.
She has charm. She has presence. And she has absolutely no reason to be stuck in this Danish misadventure with a man who couldn’t find his own socks without a map. If this is who her stepmother hired, you have to wonder what kind of childhood trauma Marigold’s already endured.
Lea does her best, but the script gives her little more than reaction shots and forced chemistry with a man who’s one pratfall away from becoming a permanent insurance risk.
Maxine de la Hunt: Negligent Stepmonster of the Year
Jean Simmons plays Maxine, the wealthy stepmother who hires Henry Brilliant to protect her stepdaughter. Now, if Maxine were truly concerned about Marigold’s safety, she would’ve hired literally anyone else—a retired marine, a mall cop, a guard dog with social anxiety. But no, she hires Henry.
This is like hiring Wile E. Coyote to babysit your child on a mountain trail.
Simmons, a celebrated actress, brings a certain old-Hollywood dignity to the role, which is precisely why watching her in this film feels like seeing Judi Dench in a hot dog commercial. You just want to look away out of respect.
Denmark: Come for the Scenery, Stay for the Confusion
The film is set in Denmark, a location that adds… absolutely nothing. It could’ve been shot in a supermarket in Fresno for all the cultural richness we get. The Danish backdrop is merely an excuse to include foreign accents, references to smuggling, and one or two windmills—because that’s how you say “international” on a budget.
The film tries to be a spy caper, but the intrigue is so lukewarm it might as well be about embezzling coupons. There are assassins. Or smugglers. Or diplomats? No one seems quite sure—including the screenwriter.
The Tone: Comedy with a Concussion
Going Undercover desperately wants to be a zany, fish-out-of-water comedy. Instead, it feels like watching someone try to explain a Monty Python sketch they barely remember while slipping on a banana peel.
The jokes are outdated, the timing is off, and the physical humor lands with all the grace of a cement truck doing ballet. Chris Lemmon’s slapstick attempts—falling over luggage, tripping over his own feet, failing to eavesdrop without smashing a lamp—feel like blooper reel rejects from a bad episode of Mr. Bean.
Even the soundtrack seems confused, swinging wildly between whimsical caper music and what sounds like leftover elevator jazz.
Final Verdict: Undercover, Underdone, and Unfunny
Going Undercover is a cautionary tale about what happens when you try to make a comedy with no actual jokes, no stakes, and a lead character who feels like a rejected Inspector Gadget prototype. It’s not charming. It’s not clever. It’s barely coherent.
Lea Thompson and Jean Simmons deserve apologies. Chris Lemmon deserves a better script—or at least better pratfalls. And audiences deserve to forget this movie exists the moment the credits roll, which, luckily, happens pretty naturally.
Rating: 2/10 — Proof that not everything from the ’80s is worth revisiting. Hide this one deep undercover, preferably in a VHS landfill.
