I've loved this movie since I was a kid, just has everything: A funny street-level plot...a parody of academia and the desperation colleges have for endowments...great little lines everywhere ("You can't insult me, I'm a lawyer;" "how did they get your pants off? Did you struggle?" "Yo, fruitcup." "Yes, I'll have one." "No, I mean you, fruitcup, Mom wants to see you.") I guess Ackroyd can't carry a movie at the box office by himself, but what a gem.
shareThis movie is sloppy, underdeveloped, utterly bizarre, but somehow I just can't bring myself to hate it, lol. At its heart it's just a sweet little story (which is odd considering the subject matter!) about this nerdy guy getting to realize his dreams of being a hero. And no one else in the world could have played these dual roles the way Aykroyd does. No one else would have even thought to. Kate Murtagh is also a great villain with her wry humor, but again, totally left field and unexpected.
What's interesting is the similarities between Doctor Detroit and Dan's next film, Trading Places. It's also about a nerdy, stiff guy who gets involved with a hooker who inspires him to change. And instead of the Doctor, Dan's outrageous disguise is "Lionel Joseph." That makes sense of course, playing a variety of odd characters was his trademark on SNL.
Trading Places was more Eddie Murphy's show with Dan as the straight-man, but DD is definitely his time to shine.
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