Os Impostores

Pure, tongue-in-cheek, humor from start to finish.

A near perfect film. Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt make a great duo in this comedy about two starving actors.

Desperate for food, they decide to con a pastry chef out of some of his pastry. As previously planned, Platt comes to the pastry chef's "rescue", but instead of getting pastry, he gets two tickets to see hack stage actor, Jeremy Burtom excellently played by Alfred Molina.

Through a series of incidents, Burtom threatens the boys with imprisonment if he catches them, The two end up accidentally stowing away on a cruise ship and that's when everything gets complicated.

An excellent cast was assembled for this superbly funny script. Watch for Campbell Scott, son of George C. Scott. His portrayal of a Nazi-like ship steward is hilarious.

My hat goes off to Stanley Tucci for doing an excellent job writing and directing this film! I only hope more people can see this jewel.

A very amusing film. It has elements of the Marx bros, Laurel and Hardy, Grand Hotel and Some Like It Hot. Really an homage to the screwball comedy films of the 30's that were chock full of great character actors. The plot is skimpy at best but half the fun is guessing the previous credits for the great cast. Look for an un-credited performance by Woody Allen as a distracted Broadway director.

Rented THE IMPOSTORS for the first time on Friday and by the end of the weekend had watched it 4 times - and yes, I do have a life. Blithe is the only word I can use to describe the experience of watching this video. In a world of multi-screen theaters that show a variation of 3 basic movies - mindless action, gross-out comedy, or big-screen version of the issue of the week - THE IMPOSTERS was a homage to an earlier genre - the silly, almost plotless comedies of Laura & Hardy. Homage - not remake - an important difference. This was definitely a 1990's movie - more quirky than slapstick, with slick production values. A series of vingettes, tied together to make a whole, yet each scene easily stands on its own as a comic gem - the initial credits being my personal favorite. One final word - all this and a great cast! and score. This movie was a rare 10.

I loved this movie, yet I can see why others hated it. This is not the comic food we have grown up on. It is a different cuisine that tastes strange at first, but if given a chance, rewards with fresh, delicious sensations at every bite.

Early in this movie our actor heros take turns mugging an emotion on command. I think this moment is the key to understanding the entire film. Almost every scene is painted by facial expressions and body language. The editing lingers to give us time to enjoy each portrait, then cuts a bit further along in the story than we are used to. This unfamiliar timing gives the strong cast a chance to act rather than react. The story is about actors, but the movie is a tribute to comedic acting.

If you want a formula comedy, rent something else. If you want movie that is funny, warm, original, and brilliant and are willing to give its different pace a chance, put this film at the top of your list and plan to view it twice.

The working title SHIP OF FOOLS is appropriate. Never since the Marx Brothers took on the world, opera, and a ship of pretentious windbags has there been such a delightful comedy. It's too bad the film is being shown only in art houses. It is a gem of a comedy.