I did not expect much when I decided to watch this, but in point of fact its a very funny and clever movie with a lot going for it. Quaid and Turner have some real chemistry. This is easily Turner's best movie in the last eight years but that's not saying much I guess. Dennis Quaid's easy-going manner and joyful grin are perfect for the part.

Stanley Tucci is a riot as "Muerte", a bumbling wanna-be gangster who appears to have seen Al Pacino's "Scarface" once too many times. In many ways, its Tucci's movie and he makes the most of it.

Fiona Shaw is also appropriately over the top as a woman/criminal with a crush on Quaid, and there are other familiar faces in the case too.

All in all, a welcome surprise.

Married couple Jane (Kathleen Turner) and Jeff Blue (Dennis Quaid) are in New Orleans with their new baby. They are secret agents on maternity leave. They befriend fellow travelers Bonnie (Park Overall) and Vern Newman (Tom Arnold). Jeff is attacked by bumbling thugs Muerte (Stanley Tucci) and Ozzie but are easily repulsed. Muerte vows revenge. Police detectives Halsey (Larry Miller) and Sawyer investigate. Frank (Richard Jenkins) wants the couple to recover experimental explosives from ruthless villain Novacek (Fiona Shaw).

I understand that this is meant to be a broad comedy. However neither Quaid nor Turner are natural straight-up comedians. The silly manners and voices from the side characters get a bit ridiculous. I can't stand Larry Miller or Stanley Tucci in this. I think this would work better with a serious action thriller while the Quaid-Turner banter could be put to better use. I keep thinking of 'Romancing the Stone'. This tries to be too broad but they don't have the cast for the material.

My husband and I were walking along the sidewalk in the New Orleans French Quarter in the summer of 1992, when he turned and looked at a woman walking alongside us in the street and said, "Oh, my god, that's Kathleen Turner." I was just getting ready to tell him I was sure it wasn't when I looked across the street toward a courtyard, and just about fainted. "Oh my god, It's Dennis Quaid!" We stopped for a minute and watched the two of them walk toward each other, and realized they were taking a break in the middle of filming a movie scene. We were on our way somewhere at the time so we didn't stay to watch, but we decided we'd have to find out what movie they were filming and make it a point to go see it. That's how we ended up seeing Undercover Blues the week it was released in 1993.

The sign that a movie's a good comedy is when you remember the plot's running gag, and it still makes you laugh years later.

I was explaining the Latin root "mort-" to my teenage daughter last night, and that reminded me of Muerte/Morty. I started laughing just thinking about Stanley Tucci's brilliant comedic turn in this role. I called to my husband and asked him if he remembered Muerte/Morty, and he said, "Sure, Stanley Tucci!" And then he started to laugh, too. It's pretty much automatic that any time I hear a word that starts with "mort," I think of Muerrrrrrrrrte!" If you haven't seen this movie, do. It's smart, funny, and at times it'll have you laughing so hard you hurt. And I guarantee you'll never hear a "mort-" word again without fondly remembering Stanley Tucci as Muerte, and his alter ego Morty.