Two people fleeing different sorts of danger find one another in this screwball romantic comedy from France. Danny (Edouard Baer) is a professional magician who has been struggling to find work and has somehow managed to get on the wrong side of his emotionally unstable brother-in-law Max (Joey Starr). With Max eager to hurt him, Danny decides to leave town, and drops his aging and senile mother (Bulle Ogier) off at a mental hospital, where he meets Sonia (Melanie Bernier), who seems a bit too interested in the opposite sex. As Danny hits the road, he picks up at attractive hitch-hiker, Irene (Nathalie Baye), who is carrying a large purse and gets frequent phone calls from men Danny assumes are her current or former lovers. But Danny doesn't know the half of Irene's story -- she's the paramour of a powerful politician (Guy Marchand) who has become involved in an illegal deal to sell arms to North Korea, and Irene is carrying both the politician's cash and evidence of his wrongdoings. Irene is also involved with a well-connected Korean gentleman (Park Jung-hak) and is dodging calls from both her lovers as she and Danny motor away in search of relative safety, and it isn't long before the traveling companions become attracted to one another. Passe-passe (aka Off And Running) also stars Maurice Benichou, Sandrine Le Berre and Hippolyte Girardot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Anita Morris - Florence; Richard Belzer - Milt Zoloth; Nancy Duerr - Yuppie Wife; Hazen Gifford - John K. Sasser; Linda Hart - Gina Pompelli; Jodie Wilson - Hostess; Mark Harris - Shriner; Harold Bergman - Sy; Dana Mark - April; Tony Jones - Curtis Valentine; Tim Hawkins - Banjo Man; George Richards - Auctioneer; Tracy Roberts - Patti
Credit
Barry Moss - Casting, Julie Hughes - Casting, Bobbie Read - Costume Designer, Edward Bianchi - Director, Rick Shaine - Editor, Mason K. Daring - Composer (Music Score), Maher Ahmad - Production Designer, Nina Ramsey - Production Designer, Andrzej Bartkowiak - Cinematographer, Aaron Russo - Producer, Bill Carraro - Producer, Mitch Glazer - Screenwriter
Off and Running is a 1991American film starring singer and actress Cyndi Lauper. She stars as a mermaid-themed lounge singer who gets involved with a caring but troubled man. Because of his involvement with horse racing and breeding (and consequent mafia ties) he is murdered in front of her, and she goes on the lam to escape his killers. On the way she takes on the company of a professional golfer and a rebellious pre-teen boy and together they attempt to unravel the mystery behind her slain lover's past. The film was not widely distributed and coasted into notability mainly because of Lauper's involvement. It is generally available on VHS for less than a dollar. The movie fared far better in other countries where Lauper's popularity has sustained. In Germany and Japan it was packaged as "Moon Over Miami".
