Shooting Fish

Jez & Dylan are a very diferent pair. Maybe that's why Georgie finds in them a gold mine. Stefan Schuartz's Shooting Fish ( 2001 ) is a funny comedy about two con artists who, without a family, start to "save" for the house of their dreams. Of course, they define them selves as the 90's Robin Hood, telling Georgie ( played by an unknowned Kate Beckinsale ) they're saving for an orphan's housing proyect. Jez ( Stuart Townsend, a rising british star ) wants to tell the truth, but Dylan ( the american Dan Futterman ) thinks they should go for what they've always wanted.

The plot is probably common, but that doesn't stop Shooting Fish from being funny, romantic, and, in some way, human. Of course it has it's failures, but, if you like it, it's good.

Jez is a computer geek, a wizard with a degree... and social incompetence. Dylan is dislexic, but he can convince anyone with his endless charm. They grew up in public homes, and now they want a house of their own. Georgie is an inocent medicine student, and she needs the money to save her retarded brother's school.

As I said before, the plot is common, but it's original at the same time. It's cleary a Masterpiece, although for some is lack of sense or it should be more adult. But that doesn't stop Shooting Fish to become one of the funniest UK comedies, among with East is East and Trainspoting.

Shooting Fish is a british expression for the action of stealing, to defraud. And that is what they do, only the orphans mentioned before are them.

When the law catches them, they'll have to tell the truth to Georgie, But: Will she forgive them?

This tells us all: even the easiest plan can fail, if you fall in love

SHOOTING FISH Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend, Kate Beckinsale Directed By Stefan Schuartz Written By stefan Schuartz & Richard Holmes

VERY GOOD 8

After reading some of the comments about this film I just had to express my view. This is one of my favorite films. I admit for some it may be an acquired taste. You'll either love it or hate it. I love it and have recommended it to many of my friends. I lent the video to a friend and she loved it so much she kept showing it to her friends and family and I never got it back. I ended up buying a second copy. Maybe not the best of movies but certainly one you may need to see a couple of times to get the "whole" picture. (and little things like the wallpaper in the guys place). I think the idea and premise is very imaginative. If you like this film you may want to check out Cold Comfort Farm. Another quirky "British humor" movie with Kate Beckinsale.

I first saw this at the cinema, believe it or not, purely on the strength of the fact that it uses 'Me And You Versus the World' by Space as the title music. I'm so glad that I did.

The film is a lightweight romp with implausible but thoroughly likeable characters. It isn't a thought provoking piece of angst, but then it never ever professes to be.

I now own this on dvd, and after several watches it still remains fresh and engaging and never fails to put a smile on my face.

There's no individual outstanding component in this film, but it's one that I just *keep* coming back to. Superb fun.

So I just caught this movie, years after it first came out.... and loved it! The lead characters are perfectly cast, complimenting each others performances wonderfully throughout. Ok, so I knew from scene one that it was all going to turn out for the best in the end, but it was the sort of movie where I didn't care! Great comedy situations, and strong writing ensured a thoroughly enjoyable experience. N.B - No review of this film would be complete without a mention of the fantastic soundtrack. From 60's American, past 90's Britpop, and culminating in the utterly magical workings of Neil Hannon - it was a joy to listen to.

Normally when it comes to voting for movies on the IMDb, I'm quite liberal. I don't set very high standards for movies. I always tend to rate films based on how much I enjoy them and this means that most of the time I always rate films highly cos I try and find something good in every film I see. I saw this film when I was vacationing in England. BBC One actually transmitted this at 11 PM, since they believed that The Peacemaker was a film more deserving of the 9:00 slot. Unlike the Peacemaker, Shooting Fish is a film that almost anybody would enjoy, unless he/she was the kind of person who found simple effective storytelling a turnoff.

Everything about this movie seems in perfect harmony. The chemistry between Dan Futterman and Stuart Townsend is perfect, word for word. And Kate Beckinsale is a perfect third piece to the puzzle; When the conversations in the movie occur, you never get the feeling you're watching a contrived conversation written by someone else, you get the feeling you're watching real life unfold. That's a hallmark of a good scriptwriter and the people who wrote this deserve credit for the story.

As for the story itself, it never lets itself become too complicated and lends itself to a lot of funny situations. Fast-talking Dylan and socially naive Jez (Futterman and Townsend) are two con men trying to raise money to build their dream house. They end up enlisting Georgina's (short-haired Kate Beckinsale in a beautiful role from her pre-Hollywood Glamourpuss days) help on a particular scam. Soon she discovers what they're up to and the story unfolds from there, with both Dylan and Jez seemingly falling for Georgie. Here again, the movie doesn't nosedive and morph into a conventional love story; rather, the romance builds in a backdrop to the main story and culminates in a heartwarming finale. As for Dan and Jez, some of their schemes may not be very believable and yet you cant help but be amused by the way they go about implementing them.

This film is a good reason why small budget comedy romances are popular - simply put, they work. On every level. Watching this film gives you the same kind of feeling as watching While you were Sleeping, for example. For the sheer sweetness of the film and for Kate Beckinsale's performance, I'd give it 7 on 10.