Moon Over Parador (1988)

While working on a film in the small Caribbean country of Parador, New York actor Jack Noah (Richard Dreyfuss) is offered a role that he cannot refuse, impersonating the nation's deceased dictator. Jack bears a striking resemblance to the corrupt leader (played by Dreyfuss's own brother, Lorin Dreyfuss), and upon his untimely death, Jack is forcibly sought out by police chief Roberto Straussman (Raul Julia), who wants to keep the despot's death a secret until he can maneuver his own takeover of the country. However, Madonna (Sonia Braga), the dictator's hot-blooded mistress, has other plans and encourages Jack to take advantage of the deception and start making some democratic changes of his own. Soon Jack has offended the country's political cronies while leading the country into revolt and winning the heart of the downtrodden masses. Dreyfuss plays the role of Jack with effortless ease and great comic timing, reveling in the satirical acting as well as plentiful Hollywood inside jokes. Costars in director Paul Mazursky's film include Jonathan Winters, Polly Holliday, and Charo, with appearances from Sammy Davis Jr. and Dick Cavett as themselves.