Synopsis/Details
A follow-on to the beloved 1972 screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc?, fast forward to the present, where iconic characters Howard and Judy are the owners of a studio in Michigan that produces World Beat musicians. They struggle with the demands of needy musical acts while Howard pursues his research, now studying the effects of the intonations of cats on medieval church music. Judy longs for a simpler life with Howard and hopes to find substitute managers as they head to the latest musicologists’ convention in New Orleans.
A parallel plot of misplaced thumb drives involving a Spy and a Detective develops at the convention, where Howard and Judy meet up with old friends Eunice and Larabee in a chaotic revolving door scene. Further bedlam ensues when a meeting for drinks overlaps with a murder mystery theater, where despite the interruptions Judy convinces their friends to visit their studio and consider becoming partners. Later Howard’s presentation devolves into hysterics when his slides have been misplaced, apparently reversed with scenes from a hotel tryst.
Back at the studio, assistant Priya has to get rough with some of the musicians. Upon their return Judy decides to follow this tack, making extreme demands that she hopes will cause the artists to welcome Eunice’s new management style. When the Spy and Detective emerge, trashing Howard’s lab to find their thumb drive, Judy uses this intrigue to cause further turmoil. Eunice appears at the company’s World Beat festival as an inspiring figure, offering modified contracts to the artists for the rebranded company. A chase ensues where the Spy and Detective are vanquished, and a happy ending follows where Howard and Judy make a romantic exit.
