Burglar

Bernie Rhodenbarr leads a double life: she runs a bookshop, but she also breaks into wealthy homes. When a burglary goes as planned and she later learns that a dead body was found in the house she had just robbed, she becomes the prime suspect. To clear herself of the murder and avoid being charged with the break-in, she relies on her underworld skills and teams up with her friend Carl Hefler, a dog groomer, to investigate on her own.

Whoopi Goldberg stars as Bernie, with Bobcat Goldthwait as Carl. G.W. Bailey, Lesley Ann Warren, John Goodman and Vyto Ruginis appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the first of Lawrence Block's novels about the character Bernie Rhodenbarr, though the screen version changes the protagonist's gender; the screenplay is credited to Hugh Wilson, Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman.

Burglar was released in March 1987. It was directed by Hugh Wilson, coming after Police Academy and Rustlers' Rhapsody in his filmography and before Guarding Tess and The First Wives Club. Made for a budget of about 13 million dollars, it took in roughly 16 million worldwide. Reception was muted: it holds a 4.5 out of 10 from 11 critics' reviews and audience ratings of 5.1 on IMDb, from around 5,100 votes, and 5.2 on TMDB, from about 109 votes.