Sweet Talker

A lovely film that appears to have been quite overlooked. I had never heard of it before, but having just recently discovered it, this warm and funny movie is a diamond in the rough. The story is familiar, but well done, with beautiful location scenes and memorable characters. Karen Allen is radiant in this, and the film is worth watching even if only for her enjoyable romantic comedy turn. Bryan Brown is convincing as a the con man who just might be persuaded to change his stripes, and has great chemistry with both Allen and young Justin Rosniak, playing her son. Themes of love, redemption and family all factor into the story, making it suitable for family viewing. An enjoyable, if oft-overlooked film.

There are no musical numbers (save Richard Thompson's very good but sadly misused soundtrack), and it doesn't take place in Iowa. But the story of a charming conman who sells a small town a bill of goods and then feels badly about it rings very familiar, complete with blundering yokels, unwanted echoes of the conman's past, and even a cute Opie-esque little boy. The movie does not, however, contain significant amounts of charm, inventiveness, or character. Don't bother.

I wouldn't call this a family movie despite the weird mix of family friendly vibes, lesser production values, and cons in prison looking at porno mags near the start. An awful lot of this fell flat for comedy and for the good vibes and whatnot I associate with the "family friendly" descriptor I'd seen that imdb gave it.

Harry (Bryan Brown)is just getting out of prison and was savvy enough to steal another inmate's plan for making money. The scheme involves going to a smaller town on the ocean and talking up big plans to convert the area to an amusement park. People of the community then would invest their own money to benefit the economy and themselves. The con man says sayonara and makes off with the dough. Harry finds what he feels is the perfect village to dupe. However, the boarding house he takes residence in has an attractive female owner (Karen Allen) with a son but no husband. Can Harry conduct his business without any complications? This darling movie is such a joy. The relationship between Harry and the young son of the boarding house owner is nicely drawn. There are also funny locals, beautiful scenery, a nice romance, and good messages to experience. Sweet talk someone special into watching this film with you. You will laugh, tear-up, and sigh.

Yup, its a total remake of the Music Man sans the Music with land speculation taking the place of musical instruments. I dont think the creators would ever deny that. But there's nothing sinister in that is there? The movie is very light, enjoyable and refreshingly wholesome. It is well acted, directed and filmed. Good triumphs over evil, the guy gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after. If you want to criticize the overused theme, ok, but in this case you cant knock the execution. Sometimes, its nice to just sit and watch a well made movie without being shocked distrubed or provoked. Give this one a try.