Movies like The Cheap Detective
If you like "The Cheap Detective" you are looking for parody, spoof and detective movies about / with private detective, nazi, world war two, murder, femme fatale, law enforcement and whodunit themes of Comedy, Crime and Mystery genre shot in USA or UK.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
The Cheap Detective (1978)
6K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Spoofing the entire 1940s detective genre, and his own performances as a bumbling private detective, Peter Falk plays Lou Pekinpaugh, a San Francisco private detective accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress, the partner's wife, Georgia Merkle.
Style:
parody, spoof, detective, funny, slapstick, cult classic, humorous, noir, neo noir, black comedy ...
Plot:
private detective, nazi, world war two, murder, femme fatale, law enforcement, whodunit, death, police, pianist, fog, nightclub, secretary, obese man, mysticism, private investigator, heroes, investigation, love and romance, couples, love affair, danger, nothing goes right, disorder, dishonesty ...
Time:
year 1978, 1940s, 20th century, year 1939, year 1940, 70s, 40s
Place:
san francisco, usa, california
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to The Cheap Detective
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, humorous, witty and clever films with plots about murder, investigation, deadly, police investigation, dialogue, storytelling and murder mystery mostly in Comedy, Mystery and Crime genres. Some movies like The Cheap Detective: Murder by Death (1976), Clue (1985), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), Oh Heavenly Dog (1980), Radioland Murders (1994). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Lionel Twain invites the world's five greatest detectives to a 'dinner and murder'. Included are a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid, screams, spinning rooms, secret passages, false identities and more plot turns and twists than are ...
Style:
parody, spoof, surprise ending, humorous, funny ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
murder, whodunit, private detective, butler, who done it, old mansion, dark and stormy night, old dark house, murder mystery, satire, riddles and clues, mansion ...
Time:
year 1976, 70s, 20th century, 1930s
Similarity:
100%
121K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Clue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler must suss ...
Style:
parody, funny, black comedy, humorous, witty ...
Audience:
kids, chick flick
Plot:
whodunit, twists and turns, butler, murder, murder mystery, multiple suspects, mansion, old dark house, investigation, mystery killer, blackmail, murder investigation ...
Time:
year 1954, 90s, 50s, 1950s, 20th century ...
Place:
new england
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby ...
Style:
spoof, parody, neo noir, surreal, cult classic ...
Audience:
family friendly, kids
Plot:
private detective, satire, femme fatale, murder mystery, murder, world war two, investigation, chase, deadpan, list, peace, coin ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 80s, 1930s
Place:
los angeles, south america, peru
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Browning is a PI with a bad cold, who's sent to investigate a case by a mysterious client. He stumbles across the body of a young woman and is stabbed to death, and when he wakes up in heaven, they tell him he's "marginal ...
Style:
humorous, light, funny, entertaining, semi serious ...
Audience:
kids, teens
Plot:
dog, private detective, afterlife, reincarnation, murder mystery, chase, murder, animal, life & death, writers, human becomes animal, talking cat ...
Time:
80s, year 1980, 70s
Place:
london
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Musical, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
In 1939, WBN, a fourth radio network, is about to take to America's airwaves. As if the confusion of the premiere night wasn't enough, Penny Henderson, the owner's secretary, must deal with an unhappy sponsor, an overbearing boss and ...
Style:
humorous, witty, suspenseful, semi serious, period piece ...
Plot:
radio, husband wife relationship, radio station, murder, murder mystery, coping, whodunit, director, showbiz, twists and turns, secrets, investigation ...
Time:
20th century, 1930s, year 1994, year 1939
Place:
usa, chicago, london
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK, USA, France, Italy, Spain
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
The Pink Panther diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and the authorities call in Chief Inspector Clouseau from France. His plane disappears en-route. This time, famous French TV reporter Marie Jouvet sets out to solve the mystery and starts to ...
Style:
funny, detective, hilarious, slapstick, parody ...
Audience:
kids, teens
Plot:
pink panther, farce, law enforcement, police investigation, childhood, police, robbery, murder mystery, disguise, inspector, nothing goes right, misfit partners ...
Time:
80s, year 1982, 20th century, 70s
Place:
middle east, paris france, london, scotland yard, seattle
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Music, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Ford "Mr. Rock n' Roll Detective" Fairlane is experiencing problems, and it's not with the opposite sex. One of them is that all the rock stars pay him with drum sticks, koala bears, food processors and bicycle shorts. Another ...
Style:
humorous, entertaining, not serious, realistic, detective ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
private detective, violence, showbiz, heavy metal, law enforcement, rock star, partner, goofy hero, boss and employee, investigation, conspiracy, radio ...
Time:
80s, 90s
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Crime, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
Film noir parody with a private eye trying to solve the murder of his milkman.
Style:
dark comedy, spoof, independent film, parody, realistic ...
Plot:
private investigator, investigation, murder, small town, social relations, disorder, danger, law enforcement, goofy hero, private detective, small town life, milkman ...
Time:
70s
Similarity:
23%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Dr. Richard Thorndyke arrives as new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous to discover some suspicious goings-on. When he's framed for murder, Dr. Thorndyke must confront his own psychiatric condition, ...
Style:
parody, spoof, funny, absurd, perverse ...
Plot:
satire, medical, elevator, murder, fetish, mental institution, hotel, going crazy, psychiatric ward, chosen one, hospital, psychopath ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, year 1970
Place:
san francisco, usa, california, los angeles
Similarity:
21%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
Daryl Zero is a private investigator. Along with his assistant, Steve Arlo he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Though a master investigator, when he is not working, Zero doesn't know what to do with himself. He has no social skills, writes ...
Style:
detective, neo noir, cult classic, black comedy, dark comedy ...
Plot:
private detective, businessman, private investigator, investigation, murder, eccentricity, deduction, dating, extortion, blackmail, hidden truth, ugly duckling ...
Time:
year 1998, 90s, 20th century
Place:
oregon, usa, san francisco, los angeles, portland oregon ...
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
After spending decades living in the shadow of his more famous and successful sibling, Consulting Detective Sigerson Holmes (Wilder) is called upon to help solve a crucial case that leads him on a hilarious trail of false identities, stolen ...
Style:
parody, spoof, psychotronic, slapstick, slapstick comedy ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
sherlock holmes, satire, sword duel, sex on first date, master criminal, private detective, amateur detective, misfit partners, investigation, rivalry, hidden identity, danger ...
Time:
19th century, 1890s, year 1975, victorian era
Place:
buckingham palace, scotland yard
Similarity:
20%
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who had gotten himself involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped ...
Style:
neo noir, offbeat, clever, entertaining, funny ...
Plot:
private detective, murder, cat, investigation, private investigator, violent content, partner, dishonesty, odd couple, aging, elderly, love and romance ...
Time:
year 1977, 20th century, 70s, 1930s
Place:
los angeles, usa, california
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
In The Man With Bogart's Face, an affectionate send-up of the Bogart detective films of the 1940s, Robert Sacchi plays a man who idolizes Humphrey Bogart so much he has his features altered to look exactly like his idol. He then opens up a ...
Style:
neo noir, realistic, parody, semi serious, psychological ...
Plot:
private detective, private investigator, surgery, plastic surgeon, lookalikes, doppelganger, face, transgender, hollywood, plastic surgery, murder, violent content ...
Time:
year 1980, 70s, 20th century
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
19%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A spoof of the late 80s and early 90s suspense thrillers and murder mysteries, including Basic Instinct, Sleeping With The Enemy, Cape Fear and others. A cop/attorney (yes he's both) is seduced by a woman while his wife is having an affair with ...
Style:
spoof, parody, sexy, humorous, intense ...
Plot:
revenge, adultery, femme fatale, attempted murder, sex scene, courtroom, lawyer, murder, secretary, blonde, sexual joke, husband wife relationship ...
Time:
90s, year 1993
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
The Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates a series of murders in London in which the victims are killed according to their initials.
Style:
black and white, not serious, realistic, parody, humorous ...
Plot:
private detective, murder mystery, serial killer, hercule poirot, mysticism, investigation, murder, female serial killer, danger, law enforcement, who done it, riddles and clues ...
Time:
20th century, 60s
Place:
england, london, scotland yard, europe
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
CW Briggs is a veteran insurance investigator, with many successes. Betty Ann Fitzgerald is a new employee in the company he works for, with the task of reorganizing the office. They don't like each other - or at least that's what they ...
Style:
humorous, witty, neo noir, realistic, atmospheric ...
Plot:
hypnosis, investigation, roman empire, plot twist, insurance investigator, workplace, justice, unlikely criminals, love and romance, power relations, murder mystery, false accusation ...
Time:
1940s, year 2001, year 1940, 20th century, 1930s
Place:
new york, manhattan new york city, usa, istanbul turkey, madagascar ...
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
After making a 3-hour fiasco about New York City's water supply, a two-man film crew decides to take it up a notch by documenting life in the private investigator offices of "Boone and Murphy". Cheating husbands and missing dogs fail ...
Style:
satirical, entertaining, noir, semi serious, humorous ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
private detective, filmmaking, murder, existentialism, investigation, artists and showbiz, satire, chase, filmmaker, manipulation, private investigator, death ...
Time:
year 1998, 90s, 80s
Place:
los angeles, california, new york, usa, mexico
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
When the incompetent Officer Frank Drebin seeks the ruthless killer of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth.
Style:
parody, funny, spoof, humorous, slapstick ...
Audience:
teens, kids, girls' night, family outing, date night
Plot:
satire, deadpan, stupidity, assassin, mind control, investigation, sarcasm, police, gunfight, assassination plot, terrorist, creativity ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1988
Place:
los angeles, usa, california, beirut lebanon, england
Similarity:
18%
2K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Lowly hotel clerk Matthew Welch stumbles unto a chance to go on a date with supermodel Hexina by pretending he is someone else. But something goes wrong on the date, she tries to kill him! Soon she kills a couple more people, and unfortunately all ...
Style:
parody, detective, realistic, humorous, not serious ...
Plot:
femme fatale, hotel, sex scene, female nudity, murder, mistaken identity, dark humor, dangerous attraction, voyeur, model, sexual attraction, psycho killer ...
Time:
90s, year 1993
Similarity:
18%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by paroled convict Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend Velma, former seedy nightclub dancer.
Style:
neo noir, detective, serious, tense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
private detective, femme fatale, crime boss, missing person, murder, voice over narration, motel, interrogation, alcoholic, baseball, ex convict, investigation ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1941, year 1975
Place:
los angeles, usa, california
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Sherlock Holmes is as dashing as ever, but with a little secret: Dr. Watson is the brains behind the operation. When Reginald Kincaid, the actor he has hired to play Holmes becomes insufferable, Watson fires him and tries to go out on his own, but ...
Style:
parody, spoof, entertaining, humorous, detective ...
Plot:
private detective, who done it, farce, investigation, sherlock holmes, comedy of errors, disorder, hidden identity, storytelling, doctor, actor, drunkenness ...
Time:
19th century, 1800s, victorian era
Place:
england, europe, london
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
Style:
neo noir, detective, dark, cynical, atmospheric ...
Audience:
manly
Plot:
private detective, murder, cat, profanity, whodunit, investigation, beach, mental institution, supermarket, alcoholic, private investigator, loneliness ...
Time:
70s, year 1973, 20th century
Place:
los angeles, malibu california, california, mexico, usa ...
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Writer Nick Gardenia is kidnapped from his California cliffhouse and forced to rob a bank. Now a fugitive, he seeks help from his ex, Glenda. She is a public defender remarried to a prosecutor, and we get a houseful of hijinks.
Style:
humorous, witty, sweet, entertaining, melancholic ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
farce, bank robbery, love triangle, couple relations, dog, bank teller, dishonesty, disorder, on the run, nothing goes right, love and romance, unlikely criminals ...
Time:
20th century, year 1980, 70s, 80s
Place:
california, usa, san francisco
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who's been training him for his upcoming role...
Style:
detective, neo noir, funny, black comedy, sexy ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
private detective, dark humor, satire, actor, thief, murder mystery, cheerleader, buddy, accidental killing, violent, buddy cop, kidnapping ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 80s, year 1980, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, venice beach california, california, denver colorado, usa ...
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
In this pilot for a proposed TV series, B.T. Brady is a flippant, but somewhat klutzy female private detective in Hollywood who sets out to solve the murder of a obnoxious mystery writer. Along the way, Brady gets help from her flamboyant mother ...
Style:
crime drama, lighthearted, parody, satirical, witty ...
Plot:
private investigator, investigation, hollywood, female detective, murder investigation, murder mystery, private detective, whodunit, female empowerment, amateur sleuth, murder, celebrity culture ...
Time:
1940s, 80s
Place:
los angeles, california
Similarity:
17%
93K
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World ...
Style:
suspenseful, humorous, atmospheric, rom com, exciting ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, kids
Plot:
spy, murder, funeral, investigation, age difference, older man younger woman relationship, love and romance, love story, hotel, photograph, marriage proposal, police inspector ...
Time:
20th century, year 1963, year 1944, 60s, 1930s
Place:
paris france, france, alps, europe, persia ...
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: UK, USA, France
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
A Shot in the Dark is the second and more successful film from the Pink Panther film series where both animated and real life sequences are mixed. A cult classic from Blake Edwards based on the play L’Idiot by Marcel Achard and Harry Kurnitz.
Style:
detective, funny, hilarious, atmospheric, witty ...
Plot:
pink panther, murder, murder mystery, caper, investigation, farce, whodunit, law enforcement, who done it, female nudity, comic hero, inspector ...
Time:
60s, 20th century
Place:
france, europe, paris france
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Police investigate when a man having an affair with his brother's wife disappears suddenly.
Style:
sexy, neo noir, black comedy, erotic, tense ...
Plot:
brother brother relationship, adultery, female detective, femme fatale, investigation, infidelity, obsession, murder, orgasm, dark humor, crime gone awry, justice ...
Time:
90s, year 1998
Place:
las vegas, austria, los angeles, salt lake city utah
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min.
Story:
At the height of the London blitz, Dr Lennox Collins, pioneer of the new forensic science, is enlisted by DI Wilkins after prostitute Mary Williams is strangled and a swastika carved on her tongue.
Style:
realistic, stylized, period piece, captivating, tense ...
Plot:
world war two, serial killer, investigation, forensics, partner, law enforcement, danger, life is a bitch, world war, murder mystery, intrigue, unconventional method ...
Time:
year 1940, 20th century, 1940s
Place:
england, london
Similarity:
17%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
Emily Watson stars as Trixie, an eccentric woman who aspires to quit her job as a security guard and become a private detective. However, comedy intervenes and the mess begins...
Style:
humorous, enigmatic, stylized, semi serious, suspense ...
Plot:
amateur detective, mentor, brutality, investigation, fighting crime, cons and scams, politics, love and romance, dishonesty, murder, undercover, casino ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
17%
Related movie lists
