Of course you’ve seen this guy. Believe it or not, he once topped the a-list…and lingered for a loooooong time.

Here is a guy who has quite a novel resume. Born in Brooklyn, NY to a Jewish family, he then gets a bit of worldly seasoning by first moving to Europe for a spell, and then finally moving on to California and attending Beverly freakin Hills High School. As if he were meant for greatness, it was like they put a seed into the soil…and he sprouted…moving on to television work for a while, then breaking through the big time with roles in American Graffiti and Jaws. Close Encounters. Cocaine. Yup, our boy liked to party, making him a comeback kid as well, which about everyone likes, right? And did I mention under-appreciated?

Go ahead and check out his IMDB page, I can wait. See what I mean? Sure there are hits and misses, but what hits! And he has them in droves, covering several decades; keeping relevant in everything from sci-fi to buddy cop flicks, dramas, and comedies especially. Just wow.

With such a resume, it’s hard to pick only two, but Moby will manage. Just need to go back to the usual bag of tricks…and recommend a couple of great Dreyfuss films that went a bit under the radar. Comedies of course; hope you like them!

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Moon Over Parador (1998)

Richard plays veteran actor Jack Noah in this gem of a comedy. Jack is in some fictional South American country, Parador, finishing up filming on his latest project when ‘El Presidente’ (Richard’s brother Lorin Dreyfuss) comes to visit the set. The President of Parador, Alphonse Simms, is of course a puppet of his handlers, none other than the KGB. During this set visit, Jack does a deadpan impersonation of the prez to spare his sexy costars the President’s undivided attention…and of course this impersonation comes back to bite him in the rear when El Presidente has a heart attack and they need a new puppet. Well, a new person to play the old puppet. Anyway, you can guess who they think of for the part, and let’s just say they make Jack Noah an offer he cannot refuse.

Welcome to Parador. The Dictator’s cold, the First Lady’s hot, the people are revolting… and Jack Noah just got the role of his life.

The chief KGB goon is Roberto, the Chief of Police, played brilliantly by Raul Julia. Despite being the bad guy, we actually get to liking the guy just a little bit. The bad guys just need to keep ‘El Presidente’ alive while they plot their final takeover of the country and put Roberto in power.

Also starring is Sonia Braga as El Presidente’s mistress Madonna, a commoner. While the ruse is good enough to fool the common folk, the staff and Madonna are of course onto Jack the whole time. But the bad guys figure as long as everyone goes along with it and no one causes any trouble, then so much the better.

Anyhow, the KGB gets more than they bargained for when Jack, as El Presidente, is a major hit with the people of Parador. Coached and persuaded by Madonna to act correctly (and responsibly), soon the masses are behind him as he moves the country in a populist direction, winning the hearts of the people bit by bit. 

Very highly recommended.

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Let It Ride (1989)

Another gem. Most people if you ask them to name you a Dreyfuss film will mention the two big ones early on in his career, ‘Jaws’ or ‘Close Encounters’. For others it’s the dramas, for some the bigger comedies like ‘Stakeout’ or ‘What About Bob?’. Like ‘Parador’, ‘Let it Ride’ came out in the middle of a great streak by Mr. Dreyfuss and for the most part got lost in the shuffle.

“He drinks. He smokes. He gambles. He curses. He thinks about committing adultery. You’ll love him.”

In this one, Richard plays cabbie Jay Trotter. Jay is an average Joe who seems to be treading water at work and at home. Then one day he heads to the track and gets a big tip on a sure winner. Soon, while everything that would usually be going against him finally starts to show promise, the rest of his life starts calling in debts; threatening to derail him while he is having one really, really good day. The question is: When to walk away? 

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Well, that’s it. If your in need of some laughs, just queue up these two and post about ’em in the morning.