PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Con artists have always proved irresistible fodder for moviemakers, especially when they're young, good-looking and steal from the rich.
Stefan Schwartz's "Shooting Fish" is the latest addition to the genre, a freewheeling comedy about three happy-go-lucky hucksters and their scams. Unfortunately, the film and the lead characters tend toward the overly cute and precious, and the movie is neither as funny nor charming as it seems to think it is. Recently showcased at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, it opens commercially Friday from Fox Searchlight.
Jez (Stuart Townsend), a Brit, and Dylan (Dan Futterman), an American, are partners in crime, perpetrating a series of cons small and large. Jez is the gadgets whiz who comes up with a variety of ingenious props to further their deceptions, and Dylan is the good-looking fast-talker.
Both orphans, they look at themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, although the only poor people they intend to help are themselves. Living in an abandoned water tower that they describe as a "post-apocalyptic pad," their ultimate goal is to buy a palatial home to make up for their misbegotten childhoods.
During one scam, involving a fake talking computer, they form a relationship with the temp worker they've hired, a sassy young medical student named Georgie (Kate Beckinsale). Soon, she's a valued member of the squad with both men vying for her favors.
The team hits upon a big score, but before they can spend the money they're nabbed for one of their less felicitous capers. A complicated series of plot machinations ensues, involving a series of deceptions and double-crosses that reveal Georgie to be more than a match for the boys when it comes to putting a plan in motion.
Arch and silly, "Shooting Fish" is ultimately not stylish enough to satisfy, and although the leading performers are charming, they aren't quite up to carrying such an insubstantial film. The filmmakers try hard for an air of light-hearted hipness -- especially with a soundtrack filled with British pop and a series of Burt Bacharach numbers -- but the screenplay is less witty than merely wacky.
Late in the story, an attempt is made to tug at the heartstrings with a subplot involving Georgie's efforts to save a home for people with Down syndrome, but it feels stiff and artificial.
SHOOTING FISH
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Stefan Schwartz
Screenplay: Stefan Schwartz, Richard Holmes
Executive producer: Gary Smith
Producers: Richard Holmes, Glynis Murray
Co-producer: Neil Peplow
Co-executive producers: Graham Hampson-Silk,
Chris Craib
Director of photography: Henry Braham
Editor: Alan Strachan
Original music score: Stanislas Syrewicz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dylan: Dan Futterman
Jez: Stuart Townsend
Georgie: Kate Beckinsale
Mr. Stratton-Luce: Nickolas Grace
Floss: Claire Cox
Mr. Ray: Ralph Ineson
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Stefan Schwartz's "Shooting Fish" is the latest addition to the genre, a freewheeling comedy about three happy-go-lucky hucksters and their scams. Unfortunately, the film and the lead characters tend toward the overly cute and precious, and the movie is neither as funny nor charming as it seems to think it is. Recently showcased at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, it opens commercially Friday from Fox Searchlight.
Jez (Stuart Townsend), a Brit, and Dylan (Dan Futterman), an American, are partners in crime, perpetrating a series of cons small and large. Jez is the gadgets whiz who comes up with a variety of ingenious props to further their deceptions, and Dylan is the good-looking fast-talker.
Both orphans, they look at themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, although the only poor people they intend to help are themselves. Living in an abandoned water tower that they describe as a "post-apocalyptic pad," their ultimate goal is to buy a palatial home to make up for their misbegotten childhoods.
During one scam, involving a fake talking computer, they form a relationship with the temp worker they've hired, a sassy young medical student named Georgie (Kate Beckinsale). Soon, she's a valued member of the squad with both men vying for her favors.
The team hits upon a big score, but before they can spend the money they're nabbed for one of their less felicitous capers. A complicated series of plot machinations ensues, involving a series of deceptions and double-crosses that reveal Georgie to be more than a match for the boys when it comes to putting a plan in motion.
Arch and silly, "Shooting Fish" is ultimately not stylish enough to satisfy, and although the leading performers are charming, they aren't quite up to carrying such an insubstantial film. The filmmakers try hard for an air of light-hearted hipness -- especially with a soundtrack filled with British pop and a series of Burt Bacharach numbers -- but the screenplay is less witty than merely wacky.
Late in the story, an attempt is made to tug at the heartstrings with a subplot involving Georgie's efforts to save a home for people with Down syndrome, but it feels stiff and artificial.
SHOOTING FISH
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Stefan Schwartz
Screenplay: Stefan Schwartz, Richard Holmes
Executive producer: Gary Smith
Producers: Richard Holmes, Glynis Murray
Co-producer: Neil Peplow
Co-executive producers: Graham Hampson-Silk,
Chris Craib
Director of photography: Henry Braham
Editor: Alan Strachan
Original music score: Stanislas Syrewicz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dylan: Dan Futterman
Jez: Stuart Townsend
Georgie: Kate Beckinsale
Mr. Stratton-Luce: Nickolas Grace
Floss: Claire Cox
Mr. Ray: Ralph Ineson
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 4/30/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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