Escrocs

When billionaire Danny DeVito catches burglar Martin Lawrence robbing his house, he holds him at gunpoint until the police arrive, then takes Lawrence's ring. Because it was a gift from his girlfriend, Carmen Ejogo, Lawrence wants to get it back.... and he has a large network of skilled but inept criminals to call on for help: once, that is, they stop laughing at him.

It's based on Donald Westlake's Dortmunder novel of the same name, and like most movie versions of Westlake's sad-sack crime comedies, some peculiar choices were made. The Westlake characters are all shlubs, with Dortmunder's brilliant plans being confounded by their bad luck and mistakes. Lawrence is good, and Bernie Mac is outstanding as the fence who bankrolls the operations, but while the comic actors are superb, it lacks the the disorganized doggedness of Westlake. Even so, the story is a good one, Devito plays his role right in the middle of his comfort spot, and even if you know Westlake, it's impossible to figure out what's going to happen next.

Generally speaking, I agree with the masses on the IMDb but in this case I must protest. This movie deserves a much higher rating than a 5. I would personally give it a 7. After viewing several mundane comedies, I found "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" to be refreshing. A quick summary of the plot: Kevin Caffrey (Martin Lawrence) attempts to burglarize billionaire Max Fairbanks' (Danny Divito) home. Max turns out to be in the house and holds Kevin at gunpoint until the police arrive. He then tells the cops that the ring on Kevin's hand belongs to him and the cops force Kevin to cough it up. The problem is that Kevin's new girlfriend had just given it to him. The rest of the movie deals with Kevin trying to get the ring back. Danny DeVito is hilarious and this is my favorite Martin Lawrence movie yet.

The plot is original and I thought the supporting actors were great. I would have given William Fichtner a bit more of a roll. He really had little to do with the plot yet I found his portrayal of gay Detective Alex Tardio to be one of the funniest parts of the movie. I read the book and will admit that the book's ending is a bit more satisfying but not a major issue. I have never seen a group of criminals and scoundrels more likable than the group in the movie. Everyone in the movie; the thief, the rich guy, the politicians, the judges and everyone in the periphery seems to be morally depraved. I guess that is what makes this movie so funny. If you enjoyed "Blue Streak" then you're going to love "What's the Worst That Could Happen?".

Just the name Martin Lawrence kind of makes me laugh, and this movie with Danny DeVito will give you several good belly laughs. Plain and simple, the formula for a good comedy is not all that complex, as this film clearly shows. There's no gross-out humor, or excessive vulgar language needed to make this movie a fun couple of hours. I also genuinely liked John Leguizamo's character throughout the movie. All in all this movie is a barrel of laughs from start to finish.

This movie was refreshingly funny, as Martin Lawrence and Danny De Vito give great comic performances. De Vito steals Lawrence's ring as the latter is caught burglarizing the former's house, and Lawrence spends the majority of the film trying to get it back.

A funny film all around, and the scene where De Vito is testifying before a senate committee is not to be missed.

*** out of ****

Well, I couldn't avoid the inevitable pun, so I thought I'd get it over with right in the beginning. As for this movie, it's pretty useless as entertainment in terms of humor, fascination and escapism. It definitely doesn't belong among the worst Hollywood comedies of late, as there is only a single fart joke and a single kicked-in-the-groin joke. That's pretty civilized for an American "comedy" nowadays, I am sorry to admit. So the problem here is not vulgarity, just boredom.

Although I greatly admire the talent of both Danny DeVito and Martin Lawrence (yes, you heard correctly - I thought he was excellent in Bad Boys), the combination of the two seems to lack something vital here. Upon a closer examination it is quite clear what this missing ingredient is: a good script. Instead of genuine amusement, this it-takes-a-crook-to-catch-a-thief story line becomes weary and repetitive fairly quickly. Add to this a couple of increasingly annoying supporting characters and numerous inconsistencies - it is one to avoid.

I would also like to add that the only really convincing performance comes from Richard Schiff as DeVito's long-suffering lawyer who experiences a moment of personal triumph. I really loved this scene. Unfortunately, it can't save this movie, which was doomed at birth. A 2 out of 10 from me.