The Crew

Solid performances by Richard Dreyfuss and (especially)Burt Reynolds make this an enjoyable summer flick. There are enough sub-plots to keep you wondering, but the story is easy enough to follow. Lots of inside jokes about Italian, Jewish and senior citizen culture in Miami will provide more chuckles than the obvious, physical humor. Look for your favorite mob-character actor among the ensemble in the finale.

There are good parts and there are bad parts in "The Crew." The good stuff is that all four geezers in the movie are consistently amusing, Jennifer Tilly has never looked better (maybe her cleavage has something to do with that), it's good to see Carrie-Anne Moss in something other than "The Matrix," and the general level of humor is funny even though we've seen it a million times. On the bad side, it's much too short to make a lasting impact, poor Jeremy Piven is stuck in a thankless role, too many jokes are aimed at the same target, and too much time passes between major gut-busters. Still, Richard Dreyfuss and Burt Reynolds get their share of laughs, even though the cleavage gets all the attention.

A plot that takes an unusual and comical look at what would normally be the darker side of society, with retired mobsters, detectives, hookers and bungling drug lords coming together in a storyline that takes all the cliches and presents them in a new and refreshing manner.

I've watched this movie several times - I think it's well written and acted, with some great characters, the casting is excellent as is the soundtrack.

Not a great classic, but I don't think it's trying to be, just a hugely entertaining movie - I'm sure the actors enjoyed making it.

So much promise, yet so little achievement was the enduring impression left on me after watching this comedy. A group of ageing ex-con artists conjure an imaginative, yet flawed plot to save their Miami retirement home from soaring rents by using the body of a dead neighbour to scare away potential residents. When the dead man's son (Sandoval) emerges to take vengeance on those responsible for his death, they use their collective criminal experience to dodge the attempted retributions.

Dreyfuss, Reynolds, Cassel and Hedaya probably weren't quite old enough to convince me that they were geriatrics, relying on props to affect the age (hearing aids etc) although Reynolds did a great impression of someone who'd lost his marbles. His near-death epiphanies lead to several hair-brained schemes while Dreyfuss' main angle is assisting the local police investigating the death, the female detective (Moss) unaware the she is his daughter. She mistakes his kindly advances as those of a dirty old man, while Dreyfuss is trying to work out how to confess to the ruse, and still reconcile with the daughter neither knew existed. Moss is stunning and it's almost inconceivable that the Pivster (Piven) is both her detective partner and boyfriend from whom she's estranged. Must be low self esteem...

Slapstick, sentimental comedy has its moments and an appealing cast but never quite hit the notes I was expecting, all things considered. Easy, lightweight viewing.

I don't think this movie was given enough of a chance. The cast alone is worth watching the movie for (Jennifer Tilly is one of my favorites; the cast also includes Burt Reynolds, Richard Dreyfuss, Jeremy Piven and Carrie Anne Moss. The jokes are cute and clever, and although it doesn't have the clever wit of a Tarantino, it's still well-timed and hilarious.

I'd never heard of this movie and happened to see it on TV. Now, I'm a hard sell, and I laughed my ass off through half the movie and smiled at the sweet, fairy tale ending that leaves everyone walking away from the movie with warm fuzzies.

And it's not just some mushy piece of sap; it's about old wise guys, so there are plenty of geriatric fist fights and pee jokes for the guys (and for those of us females who appreciate gentle toilet humor too, like me).

So give this movie a chance, is all I'm saying, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.