Lookin' to Get Out

Before I get into my critique of "Lookin' To Get Out", I feel I should mention that I saw the original theatrical cut of the movie via finding an old VHS release of the movie. Supposedly, the DVD release of this movie runs 15 extra minutes and supposedly improves the movie. That may be the case, but from what I saw, I can't see any extra footage making a big improvement of the mess that I saw. True, the DVD cut may explain a number of unanswered questions the original cut had, like why one character has bandages over one of his eyes. But the movie would still have a slow and plot less feel - it frequently feels that the actors are making it up as they go along. And while I think Voight and Young are talented actors, they give extremely annoying performances. The only thing that survives intact is the performance by Bert Remsen as the professional gambler - he's colorful, and commands the screen in his scenes. But even he can't save the movie enough to make it worth watching.

My review was written in September 1982 after a Columbus Circle screening.

Hal Ashby's "Lookin' to Get Out" is an ill-conceived vehicle for actor (and co-writer) Jon Voight to showcase his character comedy talents in a loose, semi-improvised environment. Harking back uncomfortably to the buddy pictures of a decade ago (particularly the Elaine May flop for Paramount "Mikey and Nicky"), the film only gels intermittently and despite its star names faces a grim commercial future.

Its tortuous production history saw "Lookin'" enter principal photography in May 1980 as a Lorimar production for United Artists release, later acquired in a package deal by Paramount. Five months of shooting was interrupted by the actors' strike, with reshooting and re-editing to follow. End product reflects little of the $17,000,000-plus negative cost on screen in this intimate tale of two vagabond gamblers.

Akex (Jon Voight) and Jerry (Burt Young) are the central figures, who flee New York to Las Vegas to escape thugs Harry (Jude Farese) and Joey (Alan Keller) whose $10,000 Alex has dropped in a poker game. In an increasingly contrived and unconvincing series of coincidence and turns of luck, duo set up shop in the "Dr. Zhivago" suite of the MGM Grand Hotel and use a false identity to obtain unlimited credit from the casino.

Return of casino owner Bernie Gold (Richard Bradford) ends their free-loading, but not before they have staked an ex-gambler (now a waiter at the hotel) Smitty (Bert Remsen) to a high-stakes blackjack game with ironic results.

Occasionally amusing, picture often has the feel of being improvised, with director Ashby giving Voight a loose rein to inject physical business and odd dialog into a scene. Interplay between Voight and Young is the film's raison d'etre, with each return to functional plot development or "surprise" twist coming off as artificial and annoying.

For example -star-billed Ann-Margret is injected (and written out at will) into the film as Alex's ex-girlfriend who just happens to be Gold's current flame, and in a preposterous curtain revelation by Gold, the mother of Alex's daughter which Alex has never met. Instead of farcical, this scene is irritating since, as usual, the viewer is way ahead of the screenplay. Oft-underlined theme of the joys and perils of acting upon impulse is negated by the unconvincing workings of fate.

Sporting a distracting no-bra look Ann-Margret is decorative but has no character to play. Remsen is effective, though his presence recalls an earlier (and far better) film he made in the same gambling milieu, Robert Altman's "California Split". Stars Voight and Young are an entertaining team, but presented in an untenable vehicle.

Tech credits are fine, including shameless plugging for the MGM leisure palace and its entertainment shows (particularly Siegfried and Roy's magic acts). Johnny Mandel's electronic rock score covers the awkward lapses between scenes, but without that bare musical bridge the film seems like out-takes of actors "winging it".

I thought this film was excellent! I saw the extended version on DVD so uncertain what the clipped version looks like.

Jon Voight is superlative as the annoying wise guy gambler. Burt Young doesn't appear to be acting as the NYC street wise buddy - he is that good or at least well cast. Ann-Margret nails it as the old girl-friend who can't quite get Voight's character Alex out of her system. She is smoldering every time she is on screen and she really keeps the viewer enthralled with all the male actors vying for attention. Her extended kiss as Patti Warner with Alex will jolt male and female viewers alike with its tenderness and anticipation!

Should be required viewing for anyone with, or knows someone with a gambling addiction!

Really combines some of the best elements of Ocean's 11, The Sting and Don Quixote. Don't miss the last 15 minutes to see who is conning who.

The scene with real life father Jon Voight and daughter Angelina Jolie is not to be missed as it came off surreal to me. Watch and see what I mean.

Of course, I only purchased this to finish off my Angelina Jolie collection (she had the most adorable chubby knees as a child!) and was prepared for the worst... Yet not prepared enough. Pointless. So pointless, even the characters seemed confused, and with Burt Young garbling all his lines it's a wonder you could even make out the GIST of what the man was saying. The 4-minute AJ appearance at the very end makes this one movie I never intend to rewind.

Novices will dismiss this gorgeous movie as drek, pointing out that the only "good" thing about it was Angelina Jolie when she was 4 years old. First of all, anyone who is an Angelina "fan" has problems of their own, and are in no position to criticize anything, much less art, like this great movie.

Put simply, this is the best movie about friendship I have ever seen. The writing is spectacular, as Jon Voight really understood how to express to the audience the love these two guys had as friends. The subtleties in the acting are wonderful to watch, like when Alex (Voight's character) yells at Jerry (Burt Young's character) for losing all his money at the race track. He screams at him, but then remembers that his friend is his friend, faults and all, and walks up to Jerry, pats him on the back and says, "Come on, let's go get some breakfast." The physicality of the pat on the back was a lovely touch, just like the Italian brothers fighting on the beach in "Big Night". The brothers "fought" with love, not really hitting each other. The two guys in "Looking to get Out" accept each other with all their faults, like no other two characters I've ever seen in film or TV. One scene has Jerry telling a p***ed off casino owner that his friend (Alex) doesn't understand how impossible he (Alex)is, but that he (Jerry) does, and that's why he's his friend. To which a very indignant Alex (Voight) says to the casino owner, "How 'bout that?", and the two of them walk out together, having lost all their money, up to thier necks in deep ca-ca, but still having each other. Yet another wonderful moment in the film is when Alex has gotten them into more trouble, and Jerry says this about Alex... "You know, he's a great guy to have in a jam. Problem is that he's the one who got you into the jam in the first place." Great writing, wonderfully acted by all the cast.

This film is rich. Rich with one-liners, rich with wonderful characters all the way around, and rich in humanity. This is a gorgeous film, and if you're ever lucky enough to see it, grab it, and never let it go. Of all of Jon Voight's movies, this would be the one I'd like to talk with him about. What a gem! "Coming Home", "Midnight Cowboy", "Table For Five", yes, they're good, but "Looking To Get Out" stands alone. Of course you have to understand film and writing to appreciate it. You can't just be in the Angelina Jolie fan club.