Okay - all in all, I've seen worse movies. Much of the disappointment I feel for this film is because of how good it could have been.
First off, the script - it was simply over the top. Often, more subtle humor works better - the audience does not need to be hit with a sledgehammer when a tack hammer will do the job. The plot, complete with twists (some predictable, some not) was workable - and there were some truly funny moments, but they ended up being overshadowed by the overdone bits.
Much of the cast did good work - Ray Liotta turned out for a surprisingly good performance, and Jennifer Love Hewett surprised me with the quality of her performance. Ms. Weaver, however, seemed at many points to be simply reading the cue cards. In light of her usually excellent work, I can only surmise that she was as appalled by the material she was being asked to work with as I was, and couldn't get into the part and retain her self-esteem.
There are some great lines, and the general plot is believable, but this is NOT a 'con' flick - the con artistry that movie viewers have loved in 'The Sting' and 'Ocean's Eleven' is pretty well blown by the general ineptness of the con "artists".
One remarkably onerous note may please some viewers. The mark (capably played with awful lines by Gene Hackman) is such a caricature of the offensive, rude smoker that it's likely to be offensive to anyone who knows, likes, or is a smoker themselves. The anti-smoking message was so loud that it ruined some scenes that could have been humorous otherwise.
All in all, a worthwhile flick if you like the overdone comedy of 'Dumb and Dumber' better than you like, say, the obvious but not overplayed 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or 'Bedazzled'.
First off, the script - it was simply over the top. Often, more subtle humor works better - the audience does not need to be hit with a sledgehammer when a tack hammer will do the job. The plot, complete with twists (some predictable, some not) was workable - and there were some truly funny moments, but they ended up being overshadowed by the overdone bits.
Much of the cast did good work - Ray Liotta turned out for a surprisingly good performance, and Jennifer Love Hewett surprised me with the quality of her performance. Ms. Weaver, however, seemed at many points to be simply reading the cue cards. In light of her usually excellent work, I can only surmise that she was as appalled by the material she was being asked to work with as I was, and couldn't get into the part and retain her self-esteem.
There are some great lines, and the general plot is believable, but this is NOT a 'con' flick - the con artistry that movie viewers have loved in 'The Sting' and 'Ocean's Eleven' is pretty well blown by the general ineptness of the con "artists".
One remarkably onerous note may please some viewers. The mark (capably played with awful lines by Gene Hackman) is such a caricature of the offensive, rude smoker that it's likely to be offensive to anyone who knows, likes, or is a smoker themselves. The anti-smoking message was so loud that it ruined some scenes that could have been humorous otherwise.
All in all, a worthwhile flick if you like the overdone comedy of 'Dumb and Dumber' better than you like, say, the obvious but not overplayed 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or 'Bedazzled'.