Once Upon a Crime

Once Upon a Crime is a 1992 ensemble black comedy mystery film starring Richard Lewis, John Candy, James Belushi, Cybill Shepherd, Sean Young and Ornella Muti. The film was directed by Eugene Levy. It is the remake of Mario Camerini's 1960 Italian comedy film Crimen.

Plot
The plot revolves around a series of couples in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Augie Morosco (John Candy) is a reformed gambler whose wife Elena Morosco (Ornella Muti) (playing a similar character to her role in Oscar) is concluding a business deal, Neil Schwary (James Belushi) is a gambler looking to strike it big and whose wife Marilyn Schwary (Cybill Shepherd) is hoping to buy some designer clothes. Julian Peters (Richard Lewis) and Phoebe (Sean Young) met each other in Rome and are attempting to return a dachshund to the wealthy Madam Van Dougan.

Madam Van Dougan is found murdered and the interactions between Julian and Phoebe and the other couples begin to look increasingly suspicious, as Inspector Bonnard (Giancarlo Giannini) needs to unravel the clues. Over the course of the film, Augie returns to gambling, Elena has an affair and Julian sells and repurchases the dog.

Cast

 * John Candy as Augie Morosco
 * James Belushi as Neil Schwary
 * Cybill Shepherd as Marilyn Schwary
 * Sean Young as Phoebe
 * Richard Lewis as Julian Peters
 * Ornella Muti as Elena Morosco
 * Giancarlo Giannini as Inspector Bonnard
 * George Hamilton as Alfonso de la Pena
 * Roberto Sbaratto as Detective Toussaint
 * Joss Ackland as Hercules Popodopoulos
 * Ann Way as Housekeeper
 * Geoffrey Andrews as Butler
 * Caterina Boratto as Madame de Senneville
 * Elsa Martinelli as Carla the Agent
 * Riccardo Parisio Perrotti as Customs Officer
 * Eugene Levy as Casino Cashier (uncredited)
 * Brad Murphy as The Fashion (uncredited)

Reception
The film earned negative reviews from critics. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said the film was not funny, and adding "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." On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 0% based on reviews from 6 critics. and was nominated for one Razzie Award, Worst Supporting Actress for Sean Young, where she lost to Estelle Getty in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

Inspirations
In 2006, Abbas-Mustan known for directing thriller movies in Bollywood, adapted this movie as 36 China Town starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. 36 China Town is a frame-by-frame, shot-to-shot imitation of Once Upon a Crime.