Spence, however, enlists the help of his best friend, drive-in carhop and aspiring restaurateur Dennis Powell, to bet on the race with that horse so that they can make some guaranteed money.

A Fine Mess received heavily negative reviews, including one from The New York Times, which stated "Mr. Edwards, who on happier occasions gave us the Pink Panther movies, piles on the pileups until you may suspect that he is trying to distract the audience from the absence of a diverting story or dialogue.

[7] It features performances by The Temptations, the Mary Jane Girls, Smokey Robinson, Los Lobos, Christine McVie, Nick Jameson, Billy Vera & The Beaters, and Henry Mancini, a longtime collaborator of Blake Edwards.

[10][11] The album's lead single, the title track "A Fine Mess", was performed by The Temptations, written by Henri Mancini and Dennis Lambert,[10] and released on April 1, 1986.

[18][19] The accompanying music video, directed by John Jopson, featured the Mary Jane Girls performing alongside Mandel, who was dressed as a woman, and included clips from the film.

[24][better source needed] It featured four bonus tracks: two additional songs from the film's soundtrack, "Don't Slow Down" by Mr. Mister and "Now I'm Talking About Now" by The Swimming Pool Q's, as well as extended remixes of the album's two singles, "A Fine Mess" and "Walk Like a Man".