Two If by Sea

A blonde Sandra B. and her beau of longstanding, played by the equally blond Dennis Leary, romp their way through a romantic comedy having to do with a bunch of small-time crooks and a very valuable stolen painting. Shot in scenic Nova Scotia, the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous, and Bullock and Leary have great rapport that makes their rocky relationship very believable. FBI agent Yaphet Koto is along for the ride in a role similar to the one he essayed in MIDNIGHT RUN. Leary co-wrote this, In a manner reminiscent of Donald Westlake -- which is a very good thing, if you know who Westlake is. If not, look him up. Leary is consistently Leary (maybe he was born a fully developed adult), while Bullock in 1996 is growing into the superstar that we know today. She's playing a role that might have been Julia Roberts' a few years before, as she did in several other pictures prior to SPEED and MISS CONGENIALITY, which she made her own.

I am a big fan of Denis Leary, and I thought this was a damn funny movie. The plot is cut-and-dry (the little plot that exists), but it works out nicely as a comedy, mostly due to Leary's funny dialogue and humorous arguments between him and Bullock. I think Bullock was miscast, though. She did an OK job, but her accent drifted many times. If you like Leary, you'll probably have a great time. I especially loved the scene where Leary was going fishing and he shoots one of the fish. Then he cooks it up, serves it up to Bullock and she spits out a bullet. That was classic. But for non-Leary fans...you might not enjoy it as much. I don't consider him an acquired taste, but his foul-mouthed banter doesn't appeal to everyone.

This is the kind of movie to sit, watch and relax without demanding too much of it.

The stronger point of the movie are its likable characters (except Evan Marsh). Sandra Bullock is like a fish in the water in this kind of movies and she has a good chemistry with the other leading Denis Leary. The supporting characters are good like the FBI Agent O'Malley and the group of thieves (especially when they discuss between themselves making funny comments).

'Frank' O'Brien has stolen a very expensive painting and he will go to an appointment with his girlfriend Roz to sell it, what he doesn't know it is that the FBI Agent O'Malley and his thieves friends are after them

Denis Leary: One of the greatest Irish American comedian/actors to emerge in the Nineties.

Sandra Bullock: One of the most engaging actresses to emerge around the same time.

When they appeared in Demolition Man in 1993, there was little chance to see any chemistry between the pair for all the big bangs and special effects. They rarely shared any scenes together which made matters worse.

So when this movie put them together three years later, the going looked good. Great Nova Scotia scenery and a screenplay partly written by Leary looked promising.

Alas, while both stars are still great, the script and pacing lacks a lot. As a fan of both stars, I could only watch half an hour before I had to go to bed.

The fact that I saw it after the dreadful Speed 2 made it a little easier to palate, but not much.

If you want to see a great movie involving Leary and a stolen painting watch The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) instead.

Roz [Sandra Bullock] Has hooked up with Frank [Dennis Leary, a small time crook who is always looking for that big job to retire on] who is fed up with him not treating her as a lady, she reluctantly ends up in this little coastal town to do a deal with the stolen painting on their last job, where they try to fit in among the residents living there, when Roz finds how the other half live and likes it, she also finds a love.

A very funny romantic comedy, look out for the scene Sandra's getting changed, and on the bed with Dennis.