Criminali da strapazzo

SMALL TIME CROOKS (2000) * * * Extremely amusing comedy about a classless, aging ex-con (Woody Allen) with a long-suffering smart-mouthed wife (Tracey Ulman in a great performance) and how his plan to rob a bank with his idiot friends (including Jon Lovitz wearing black socks, shorts, and sandals) takes them into territory they're totally unprepared for. To say more would ruin the fun. If your a fan of Woody's lighter stuff, this one ranks up there with Manhattan Murder Mystery and is maybe a notch below Everyone Says I Love You. Elaine May is hilarious as Ullman's empty-headed cousin. Also stars Hugh Grant and Michael Rappaport.

I would have never expected a movie like "Small Time Crooks", but one would have to imagine that it could only come from Woody Allen. He plays loser Ray Winkler, who plans to pull off a big heist. But of course, he needs a cover. So, his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) opens a cookie shop above the tunnel that Ray is digging, and lo and behold, the cookie shop is a smash hit, and they never pull off the heist! A year later, Ray and Frenchy are fabulously wealthy, to the point where "60 Minutes" reporter Steve Krofft interviews them. But this all starts exposing the problems in their lives. Maybe crime would have paid after all! Above all, this movie shows that Woody Allen does best when just going for straight comedy. I would say that this was his funniest movie since "Mighty Aphrodite". Also starring are Elaine May, Jon Lovitz and Hugh Grant. You're sure to like it.

SMALL TIME CROOKS / (2000) ***

Woody Allen's artistic sense of humor is the perfect style of wit for the timid new comedy "Small Time Crooks." Allen wrote and directed the film, which is pure Allen. This amusing filmmaker brings a focused sensation of clumsiness and silliness to the various ensemble of characters; this movie is classy, sharp, and funny.

Woody Allen stars as an ex-con named Ray Winkler, currently employed as a local dishwasher. He is the kind of person who comes up with maniac ideas he explains as beneficial, but they end up causing more grief than gratitude. His mangy wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) is sick of her loser lifestyle, so when Ray proposes to burglarize a nearby bank with his old buddies, including Denny (Michael Rapaport), Tommy (Tony Darrow), and Benny (Jon Lovitz), she reluctantly agrees.

Ray comes up with a scheme that consists of renting a storefront next to the bank in order to tunnel a passage way into their destination. To avoid suspicion, Frenchy and her cousin May (Elaine May) open a bakery offering cookies as the four criminals screw everything up in the basement. The cookie sales unexpectedly become a massive achievement, leading to the characters opening up a corporation that makes them rich.

The film's setup introduces the main characters with intelligent humor and riffraff detail. We learn they are unintelligent, desperate, and deprived nobodies living in unmistakable poverty without purpose or hope of a decent future. Also decently developed is the story, with a clear, stable first act and early laughs to capture the audience's attention from the start. This is the kind of movie that relies on situations to pull its characters through the story, and Allen gives the script fresh twists, active subplots, and creativity.

"Small Time Crooks" is a character movie; a study of well-acted personas given funny edge and dimension. The characters are dazzlingly portrayed by some of the most clever names in Hollywood. Woody Allen rehearses his basic charismatic personality that we all know and love, and brackets himself between witty dialogue and well-cast supporting actors. Tracey Ullman is perfect in a role seemingly prepared towards her performance and Hugh Grant's false charming tenderness creates a despicable image in which the audience opposes but enjoys.

The movie's story clearly exhibits the life of Ray and Frenchy, which is probably the smartest level in which it succeeds. We see gradual changes in the two as the story uses side characters as benchmarks that help to propel the plot along. There is minute tension involved with Ray and his spouse, however, although the Hugh Grant character provides a little romantic competition. If I had to change something in this movie, I would increase the level of the story's stakes and change the horridly annoying soundtrack.

Too much of this movie relies on dialogue to pull itself through story slouches; at times the plot seems to drift and the character end up explaining developments and advancements. "Small Time Crooks" does not suffer to immensely in result of this material because Woody Allen often supports his dialogue with visual story and amusing conversations that look as if especially written for each character in each scene.

"Small Time Crooks" furnishes seeking audiences with effective comedy. So often we desire for comic adventures only to find contrived and recycled humor in stale stories. This film succeeds in perspiring light-hearted humor with a surprising human dimensional touch. "Small Time Crooks" will not disappoint fans of Woody Allen's gawky sense of humor.

Ray Winkler (Woody Allen) is a "small-time criminal" with big dreams; nevertheless, he's actually a dishwasher. Then, Ray , the blue-collar turned crook, decides to become rich by robbing a NYC bank. Problem is, he teams up with various bumblers to pull off the heist. As he recruits his manicurist wife (Tracey Ullman) and some clumsy coworkers (Michael Rappaport, Jon Lovitz, Tony Darrow) and quits his job as a dishwasher to open a cookie shop next to a bank. He sets up a business as a front to hide the crime that turns out to be more successful than the hold-up it was supposed to hide. And while his wife runs the cookie store, he and his co-workers work in the basement to break into the bank. Wealth comes from an unexpected direction and helps him fulfill his dreams. As a result of some mishaps, the couple accidentally gains fame and fortune only to find it doesn't suit them at all. Explodes with big-time laughter.! They took a bite out of crime!.

Allen writes, directs and stars in a funny comedy in which he returns to the mocking spirit of his beginnings, such as Bananas, The Sleeper and Take the Money and Run. In fact, Woody Allen places a large gumball machine in one of the opening scenes to create a link between his role, Winkler, and the bungling criminal Virgil Starkwell from his other film Take the Money and Run (1969). In this film, Small Time Crooks (2000), highly praised by critics, he plays an inept ex-convict who plans to become a multimillionaire thanks to the money he tries to steal from a bank, setting up a cookie store as a front, but the deal turns out better than the robbery. Co-starring Tracey Ulman, a renowned comedy actress with several awards. Ullman, as usual, is endearing and sympathetic. Woody Allen claims he chose Tracey Ullman because she is one of the few comedians who makes him laugh. Also notable are the lousy thieves played by Jon Lovitz, Michael Rappaport, Brian Markinson and a large cast that includes Hugh Grant as a smarmy art dealer and well-bred snob trying to make a profit while teaching the lower classes some couth and Elaine May, among others.

The soundtrack is filled with Allen's beloved jazz and big band tunes. Adding evocative and colorful cinematography by Chinese Fei Zhao, Yimou Zhang's regular cameraman. This comedy-thriller is full of silliness and ridiculous situations, being competently acted, written and directed by Woody Allen. Hauled by some as Allen's triumphant return to his stylings of old , this comedy 'Small Time Crooks' actually just seems some slow and dated, but decent. In his beginnings Woody made generally hilarious films in which he often acted, such as: "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", "Take the money and run", "Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You", "Sleeper", "Everything You always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask¨, among others. Later he created several masterpieces, including a series of films in which he provided good direction, putting enough care, wit and warmth such as : ¨Crimes and misdemeanors¨, ¨New York stories¨, ¨September¨, ¨Radio Days¨, ¨Hanna and her sisters¨, ¨Broadway Danny Rose¨, ¨Zelig¨, ¨Stardust memories¨, ¨A midsummer Night's Sex Comedy¨, ¨Interiors¨, ¨Purple rose of Cairo¨, ¨Manhattan¨, ¨Annie Hall¨, ¨Melinda Melinda¨ and many others . Rating: 6.5/10. Better than average. The film will appeal to fans of Woody Allen's films. Well worth seeing.

"Small Time Crooks" is the latest movie from Woody Allen, and it will likely be seen by the same people who go see all of his other movie (myself included) but will likely not branch out far from there. It's funny, and Allen fans will enjoy it, but it's certainly not an outstanding comedy.

Allen plays Ray, a schlub living in New York who concocts a crazy scene to rob a bank. It involves a cookie store, a tunnel, and lots of drilling. It also stirs up one of the two out-and-out hilarious sequences in the movie.

After the digging sequence, the film takes an unexpected turn (which I will let you discover for yourself), and the section immediately following the "One Year Later" card is the best of the film. Sadly, the brilliant media satire and perfect lines are not repeated again in the film. for the remaining hour.

A lot of people have commented how this is Woody getting back to his roots. Certainly the film starts off like a lot of his early works, and the premise certainly shares a good deal with Take the Money and Run, but I would not put Small Time Crooks on the same level as that film, one of my favorite comedies. While it's certainly a lighter film than his later works, Allen just doesn't have the same bizarre gags and total disregard for reality that the early works had. That insane-genius-laughing-at-us-all energy is missing.

Still, the film looks great and the cast is especially good. I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of Michael Rappaport and John Lovitz, who sadly only appear in the first portion of the film.

Again, the movie isn't bad, it's just no Take the Money and Run. Recommended for Woody fans, but I wouldn't say expect the old master here, rather expect an older master doing his best to relive those early greats.