The Squeeze is a 1987

1987 in film

-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....

 comedy film

Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...

, starring Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton

Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...

, and co-starring Rae Dawn Chong

Rae Dawn Chong

Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress.-Life and career:Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. She and her sister Robbi were raised by her grandmother, Tommy Chong's mother. Chong's father is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish ancestry and her...

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Plot

After retrieving a mysterious parcel for his ex-wife, eccentric down-on-his-luck artist Harry Berg (Michael Keaton) enlists the help of private eye Rachel Dobs (Rae Dawn Chong) when he suddenly becomes embroiled with thugs and a murder investigation. The combination of Harry's many comic eccentricities and Rachel's straight-and-narrow, naive personality ends up working in their favor to help solve the crime.

Release

Originally produced as Skip Tracer, this film changed its title to Squeeze Play before settling for The Squeeze. The working title refers to someone who tracks down delinquent bill payers. When released in theaters, The Squeeze made only $2.2 million at the U.S. box office. It is most notable
for an accident that took place during filming, in which a stunt man was killed driving a car into
the Hudson River.

Despite billing itself as a "comedy-thriller on a lucky streak", the movie failed to score with most critics. Film historian Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...

 called it "Dreadful...almost completely devoid of laughs or suspense."

Also of note is that the poster art for the film featured Keaton being squeezed between the Twin Towers

Twin Towers

Twin Towers may refer to:In architecture:* Deira Twin Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates* Deutsche Bank Twin Towers, Frankfurt, Germany* Guangzhou Twin Towers, Guangzhou, China* Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

 of the World Trade Center

World Trade Center

The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...

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An updated version of the film was briefly released on Netflix, and Comcast had an HD version On Demand in 2008. Though still not released on DVD, the updated version is available on Amazon.com instant-viewing for rent or purchase.