Quem Tudo Quer, Tudo Perde

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 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!"

This is a great gangster spoof movie. It is probably one of the funniest gangster movies ever. Devito and Piscopo are great together, however, Lou Albino, as Frank the fixer, steals the show. He stole every minute of the film that he was in. It was almost like watching an old marx brothers film, where you only keep your eyes on groucho, in the scenes that he is in. In this one, you keep your eyes on Frank the Fixer. The acting is funny and the script is also very clever. I would put it as one of the funniest movies of the 80's

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.

I don't know why this film was so horribly panned when it was first released, its just a harmless and lightweight gangster comedy. I will admit that director Brian DePalma who has directed such classics as Scarface and The Untouchables was taking a huge risk by agreeing to take on this lightweight comedy, but I think it ended up turning out just fine. DeVito and Piscopo have surprisingly good on-screen chemistry and DePalma's directing style shows through and works well in this film. This was certainly one of Danny DeVito's better comedies in the 1980's. I was also glad to see that Roger Ebert actually gave this fun comedy a good review. ***/****. Great fun.