Cadaveri & compari

Mildly enjoyable diversion seems grossly out of place it De Palma's canon. The premise is interesting - two loser hoodlums (Danny DeVito and Joe Piscapo) try to screw over a mob boss and end up getting hunted down. However, it is never particularly funny and the story isn't really that interesting. De Palma's directorial mastery is nowhere to be seen here - the direction is competent but the script never really gives him a chance to demonstrate his skills. Not as bad as some make it out to be, but certainly a failure, especially considering that it came between Body Double and Casualties of War, two of De Palma's best films.

This has to be Brian dePalma's best film to date. Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo are two losers who get the crummiest jobs and errands from a Newark mob boss (Dan Hedaya). After truly "dissing" the mob boss to the tune of $100,000, our two heroes head to Atlantic City for safety. However, they travel in the prized convertible of the bosses tough, enormous right hand man, Frankie (Captain Lou Albano in a hysterical, priceless performance) They even have Frankie's gold card! Thru elaborate, strange run-ins, DeVito and Piscopo wipe out the entire Newark mob clan, and live happily ever after. The performances are all over the top, and it's great! Hedaya's mob boss who prays when he's at his angriest, DeVito's unbearable older female relatives, Hedaya's mob (Including Frank Vincent in a haircut and sunglasses only mobsters wear), and Harvey Kietel doing a wonderful, soft-spoken turn as the well respected Atlantic City mob boss. The physical comedy is wonderful. We know Frankie is annoyingly careful with his "baby", a classic convertible. When DeVito and Piscopo get revenge by taking it out on the highway and guzzling fast food (and smearing it all over the dashboard!), you'll either howl with laughter or just gape. Sample dialog: Mobster looking at big piece of fabric: "Frankie, Awfully strange looking pillowcase." Frankie (Mad as Hell): "That's not my pillowcase, that's my underwear!"

I've just caught it on TCM and can't wait the 5 weeks till it comes out on DVD. This is a gangster spoof at its best, full of lovable characters well played by top actors of the mob genre. Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo make a great loser couple, Dan Hedaya stars as the dreary mob boss, whose henchmen include Frank Vincent and hilarious Lou Albano that steals every scene he's in. We even get to see Harvey Keitel in a classy supporting role! The plot is simple and has been done before and after, but rarely with such charm and lightness. With a current rating of 5.2, it's a severely underrated gangster comedy able to deliver entertaining evening for every fan of the genre.

This movie was panned when it came out but I think it got a bum rap. Joe Piscopo has a tough role playing an idiot (not as easy as you would think it would be) and Danny DeVito's energy helps carry the film along. Great to see Harvey Keitel in a role that doesn't involve blowing someone's brains out. This is a great flick to catch on cable on a rainy afternoon. Silly but fun.

This is a great movie if you like the life. They teach you how to outsmart the mob and come out on top. Harry & Moe want to be somebody but when they make a mistake it could cost them their lives. They take off to Atlantic City and hide out from the mob bosses and from their-selves only to find the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. Casting such talented people as Danny Devito, Joe Piscopo, Dan Hedaya, Harvey Keitel, Captain Lou Albano, Patti Lupone, Ray Sharkey, working from a script by George Gallo, produced by Aaron Russo, DePalma put his trademark stamp on this film, and turned out something so funny that you will be screaming with laughter the entire time.

Yes, even though it is a comedy, DePalma throws in a terrific last minute twist that is utterly climatic and fantastic and hilarious. Everyone in this is hilarious, especially Albano, Devito, and Piscopo, who never did a funnier film before or after this one. Not to be mistaken and/or confused with the dreadful "Johnny Dangerously".

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.