All of Me (1984)

(On Cable TV, March 2021) While it may not be mentioned as often as The Jerk or Roxanne or other Martin films between 1979 and 1988, All of Me is just as representative of Steve Martin’s earlier, funnier film performances. (Its lower profile probably comes from the fact that Martin isn’t credited with co-writing the script.)  While its body-possessing premise may not be as cheerfully absurdist as other Martin films of the time, it does let him perform several sequences of pure body comedy. Playing a meek man whose body ends up half-possessed by a rich heiress, Martin pulls out all the stops in showing a man half-controlling his movements, with the other half freaking out at the predicament. Much of the good stuff, however, takes place in the buildup of the film — perhaps sensing overexposure, the body comedy gradually leaves enough space for a strong comic narrative in tie for a satisfying ending. Martin gets some astonishing support from Lily Tomlin as the heiress whose possession plans ran amuck — Director Carl Reiner keeps her in the film long after her death by having her show up in mirrors to talk to Martin’s protagonist, leading to a final shot that becomes a likable romantic flourish on top of the entire film. The entire film is in a slightly different comic register than other Martin movies, but it holds up very well even today, and probably deserves a bit more attention — the best sequences are anthology-worthy.