Watching the Detectives (2007)

Mr. Man enjoys listening to the Elvis Costello single “Watching the Detectives” (1977) almost as much as watching Paul Soter’s romantic comedy Watching the Detectives (2007) even though it was dissed by most critics. This indie flick falls somewhere in between Woody Allen’s fantastical romance pics Play It Again, Sam (1972) and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) where real and reel lives intermingle. In other words, Neil Lewis (Cillian Murphy) pretends to live in a film noir detective movie. As such, the cinephile owns and runs Gumshoe Video Store. One night, Neil is working with Jonathan (Jason Sudeikis) when a mysterious woman named Violet (Lucy Liu) enters the shop. Since Neil’s girlfriend Denise (Heather Burns) just dumped him, he is able to make a date with this new customer. Violet seems like she’s a 1940s femme fatale who stepped out of Neil’s favorite movie. Needless to say, he’s excited by the danger she brings into his mundane existence. As the plot thickens, we encounter Detective Barlow (Mark Harelik), Detective Lowenstein (Ali Reza), Glenn (Brett Gelman), Mark (Josh Gad), and Cillian’s skin! While soaking in a tub, mourning his premature breakup with Violet, Neil shows off his wet chest at the 01:25:20 mark. After Ms. Liu enters the bathroom, the nude dude jumps out of the tub to chase her into the living room. During the skintastic act, he flashes his alabaster ass. It’s a view that’s kind, but you’ll need to rewind (and pause) to truly appreciate Mr. Murphy’s cheeky assets!