The comedy that comes in Outrageous Fortune may come in small doses, but it is supplied in good lengths by stars Bette Midler and Shelly Long. They make good comic chemistry as two ladies who have been screwed by the same man. Funny along the way, but it doesn't exactly hit the dart on the head. But it is OK, because of co-star George Carlin, who is good as always, and is especially good here as a Indian hippie-tracker who helps Midler and Long along the way. Best comedy of 1987. B+

Take "the Divine Ms. M" and pair her with the frigid Diana from "Cheers" and you have the makings of one of the most opposite of pairings since Hope and Crosby's "Road" movies. In any other situation, Bette Midler and Shelley Long might not have been able to stand each other, but here, they are instant theater rivals who have one thing in common (Peter Coyote) and after discovering the truth about him, band together to find him with many surprises along the way.

"You saw Ninja Vixens?", Midler asks when she encounters a clerk who instantly recognizes her after she storms in to use their phone. Also present is Long, an uptight actress who longs to take a class from a prestigious Russian acting teacher, and once Midler learns about the class, she longs to take it too. Coyote is believed to have been killed in an explosion and Midler and Long both instantly recognize that a certain body part on the corpse doesn't match up with what they particularly appreciated about him. So it's off to adventure, as they team together, and their bond makes them become closer with lots of gags on the way.

Long and Midler are a seemingly odd team as they begin their adventure, and Long shows the rough and tough Midler that her acting training can make her just as tough, especially when they impersonate police officers. Later, they encounter Florence Stanley (as a cynical airline clerk) who rewards them for their ingenuity by providing them information almost immediately after bad-mouthing a customer who tried to bribe her into letting him take overweight luggage on board.

This takes them from the rough streets of New York City to Mexico where they learn a few more things about the man they loved and Long gets to prove once again she just ain't some namby-pamby drama queen. The film grabs your attention from the beginning and never lets go. Laughs come fast and furious and the stars prove that they have what it takes to keep your interest. Robert Protsky, John Schuck and Jerry Zaks also have amusing supporting roles, and you will cheer on Long as her seven years of ballet pay off for her in a climactic sequence.

Lauren Ames (Shelley Long) is an overly-trained and unsuccessful New York actress. She is relentless and begs her parents for $5k to pay for Stanislav Korzenowski acting classes. Sandy Brozinsky (Bette Midler) joins the same class to aggravate Lauren. Lauren starts dating Michael Santers (Peter Coyote) but she doesn't know that he's also dating Sandy. Lauren watches Michael walk into a flower shop when it explodes. The two girlfriends are shocked by the other when they run into each other at the morgue. The duo knows the dead body is a fake by a particular body part. They set off to find him as they encounter Russian spies and American agents. The search leads to New Mexico.

This is a screwball comedy pairing Long with Midler. Long comes off as whiny know-it-all and Midler is the sassy broad. Their personalities clash and they don't make for a great comedy duo. They are both solid comedic actresses but this doesn't really work. They are a little too close. One should probably be a straight man.