6.2
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Foul Play (1978)
Foul Play (1978)
Overview
A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
LGBTQ: Negative
Christianity: Positive
Viewer Rating
6.2
Overview
A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Traditional
Primary
Foul Play is a comedic thriller focused on an innocent woman caught in a criminal conspiracy to assassinate the Pope. The film's primary objective is entertainment through suspense and romance, rather than engaging with political ideologies or societal critiques, thus placing it in the neutral category.
The movie features a predominantly white cast typical of its release era, with no explicit race or gender swaps of traditionally white roles. Its comedic thriller narrative does not engage in critical portrayals of traditional identities, nor does it center on explicit DEI themes.
Secondary
Foul Play features two queer-coded antagonists, Mr. Scott and Stella, whose implied LGBTQ+ identities are linked to their villainy and portrayed through stereotypical traits. Their depictions contribute to a problematic association of queer identity with menace and eccentricity, lacking any positive or affirming counterbalance.
The film portrays a fanatical splinter group within the Catholic Church as the primary antagonists, whose murderous actions are clearly condemned. However, the Pope himself is depicted as a benevolent figure, and the narrative aligns with the dignity of the mainstream faith by positioning the audience to sympathize with the victimized institution and its leader.
Foul Play does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. A male assassin uses a female disguise as a plot device for deception, but this is explicitly presented as a temporary ruse, not an aspect of gender identity or an exploration of transsexual experiences.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Foul Play (1978) is an original film with characters created specifically for its screenplay. There is no prior source material, historical record, or previous installment from which characters' genders could have been established and subsequently changed.
Foul Play (1978) is an original film with characters created specifically for this production. There is no prior source material, historical record, or previous adaptation to establish a canonical race for any character that could then be changed.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.8
6.3
Critic Ratings
7.3
4.5
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