Morceaux choisis

"Picking Up the Pieces" is a black comedy involving a gruesome murder, but without explicit violence. It's darkly satiric comments on religion are the centerpiece, with a powerfully expressive focus in the corpse's hand itself. Alfonso Arau has made a small gem of a movie, not to everyone's taste, but hilarious to many. The acting is quite good throughout. Kiefer Sutherland, as the villainous, red-neck cop perhaps overdoes it a bit, but it is satire. David Schwimmer, as a small-town New Mexican priest in love with a local prostitute and whose church is in financial trouble, is exceptionally good. And Sharon Stone (unrecognizable as the super-promiscuous wife of Woody Allen's butcher) is excellent as a woman whose final victimhood allows her redemption from a life of sin.

Three and a half Stars. Check it out

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in but after a failed first attempt at viewing this film (lasted about 10 minutes) I just finished seeing the "hole" thing and thought "what a great WA film ala the pre-serious Woody phase that he didn't write! This film was obviously not done with the BIG audience in mind, but out of love for the absurd to a sublime degree. Over the top puns abound in a truly profound way. Like for instance, "You can save your ass, or you can save your soul. But you can't save both. You choose, ass....soul...etc.,etc. I can't believe the many stars in this cast (albeit off-ctr types) did this for the money, so they must have had a blast making it. And c'mon folks, tell me you didn't love to see Kieffer hung up and beaten like a pinata with fireworks going off on his body. I hven't seen cast interviews, so I'm not as informed as some of the commenteers here are, but the overall message (last words of Woody)of this movie is not to be ignored: "f__k em if they can't take a joke". Yeah, the production was cheezy, but it fit so well. The patchwork editing just may have been intentional.... I can easily see how people panned this film. But, no offense intended, maybe you take yourself a bit too seriously.

PS: the quip about Jesus' party getting out of hand _was_ Lenny Bruce's comment as stated by Woody in the film.

Ahhhhhh

I thought it was very funny, but in the morbid sense. The premise and many of the gags were indeed funny to one's dark humorous side. Just as Stephen King "experimented" with several short stories and novels using the pseudonym Richard Bachman, I think many miss the point that this is really Woody's writing/directing, using "Bill Wilson" et al, to try his blacker comedic side. Sharon Stone was great--primarily because as I watched her, I didnt know it was her....until the end of the movie. True Woody Allen affecionados should appreciate this effort!

I am a big Woody Allen fan and greatly admire his early films, up to and including Annie Hall. The only two post A.H. films I have enjoyed are "Curse of the Jade Scorpion", and this one, "Picking Up the Pieces". There are moments of the old Woody here that have been missing in many of his more recent efforts. He should venture out of his "New York City comfort zone" more often. The movie is not perfect, and could / will offend some. I really liked the neon lighting, which in no small way reminds me of "Vamp". Do not let the one star ratings steer you away from "Picking Up the Pieces", because it is well worth a peek, and especially for those W.A. fans who yearn for the 1970s Woody. - MERK

The bawdy, crass jokes and lowbrow humor employed in Bill Wilson's script work in his story about a kosher butcher who catches his unfaithful wife in the act and is driven to homicidal maniacal behavior. From the gags involving a permanently frozen hand with its middle finger extended, to the obvious dialog quips, this movie is highly entertaining, with Farrelly/Coen Brothers influences. The impressive cast executes all the silliness with great ease and skill. Woody Allen's characteristically droll performance makes an interesting backdrop against the film's New Mexico locale.

Despite the obvious nature of the story, Director Alfonso Arau's use of visual realism lends to it's contrasting irony. Arau's style is reminiscent of some of Mexico's better comedies celebrating the culture through humorous eyes.