Un si joli petit casse

I feel that this movie is a superb effort which truly meets all the normal criteria upon which movies are typically judged by so-called "experts." It is well-directed, well-acted, well-written, and is totally enjoyable with great pacing. Can't remember the last time I've had so much fun! The comedy aspect is a revelation, especially with regard to Shields! Who knew? I've suffered with Brooke through all her various incarnations on film while squirming in my seat with embarrassment for her. I've been pulling for her for years in hopes of better acting days without actually believing that those days would come. But with this performance, she's finally been able to put it all together by giving a mature, highly-professional, fully-developed comedic character portrayal - - a most difficult acting assignment. The supporting cast is also equal to the task with the inimitable Rip Torn leading the way with his portrayal of FBI lead-agent, Royce, who's in love with his large collection of lawn mowers. And Dylan Walsh's performance as the easily-influenced boyfriend/husband who's lost in love with Shield's "ultimate babe" character provides some needed balance to this otherwise unbalanced relationship. The outright knee-slapping, belly laughs are provided by Walsh's lowlife junkyard brother and his wife, Marlene (who changes TV channels with a pair of vice grips!...and physically assaults him for the credit cards to go to the new mall opening.) Their search for the proper spelling of the word "savory", had me rolling on the living room floor holding my sides and fighting for breath! Now the true elitist cinefile might dismiss this inexpensive, made-for-TV effort as just moderately good junk, but I feel it is a major, overlooked jewel that deserves a better fate than to be found only in the blow-out bin at the local Walmart. It can still be ordered online, if not downloaded and streamed. I suggest you do just that for a truly enjoyable evening of superb fun entertainment.

Having recently been given a big box of DVD's, I thought to myself, as with most things, that I would save the best until last and start off with the bad. This was the first out of the box and I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised. Now, a mark of 5 out of 10 may not prove my point.....and here is why. As soon as I started watching I said to myself 'Channel 5 (UK) afternoon TV movie', without knowing at the time that was exactly what it was. Supposedly based on a true story, the plot is very thin and very much a no brainer. However, there are 4 very well know stars in the film which was very much a coup for a TV movie. And it's 3 of these 4 that pull this movie through. Alessandro Nivola has a minor 'stooge' role, but Brooke Shields' very purposefully overacted ditsy performance is pretty good........if just a bit annoying at times. In fact, it seems that all of the main 3 women's roles were overacted. I have no idea why. Dylan Walsh is good as Shields hapless boyfriend and Rip Torn was..........well, Rip Torn really. I don't have to 'plot spoil' here as the films title totally says it all.

All in all, an above average TV movie with a good cast and good performances.

When I sat down to watch "The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery" here in 2021, I have to admit that I had never even heard about this movie before. I stumbled upon the movie by random luck and saw that the movie had Brooke Shields in the lead role. And with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen before and having Brooke Shields on the cast list, of course I took the time to watch it.

As it turned out then writer Adam Greenman and director David Burton Morris didn't exactly manage to churn out a particularly exciting or interesting movie here. So the movie did fall somewhat short of managing to provide me with much of any entertainment.

The storyline told in "The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery" was just a swing and a miss, and the plot just never was appealing to me. So my interest in the movie was quickly fading as the movie trotted on and on. And the bland character gallery didn't really help much to sell the movie either.

The acting in the movie was also bland, especially since the actors and actresses had nothing to work with in terms of a proper script, storyline or characters. Sure, the movie can be watched solely because of Brooke Shields is in it, but if you're watching movies for a proper entertainment aspect, then "The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery" is not a great choice.

My rating of "The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

Endearing, fast-paced offspring of Raising Arizona (1987) and "actual events", this jinxed comedy debuted on US tv during the dog days of summer when everyone I know was still on vacation. Please be home the next time it's aired.

Filmed several years earlier at a moment in history when it would've been hyped as a Brooke Shields/Rip Torn vehicle, "The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery" will one day be known as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dylan Walsh's commanding performance.

A catchy score, richly-detailed comic touches in every scene, great attention to the peculiar supporting cast (at least five of whom were huge fun to watch in Radioland Murders), and the genial spoofing of our fondness for mall openings and "Wheel of Fortune"--none of the above would've kept me glued to the tube if it weren't for the adhesive that Dylan Walsh's performance applied to all that silliness.

He created a character SO earnest and SO focused (in perfect contrast to his scatterbrained sweetheart) that purely in sympathy I HAD to take the movie as seriously as he took his caper. While the rest of the cast diverts our attention with comic vignettes, all the suspense, all the credibility, and our only hold on this runaway train of a plot--it's all to be found on Walsh's face and in his body language. As the pressure builds, he lets us see his confidence begin to crumble, just a little at a time, while laboring to hide his feelings from everyone else.

Brooke Shields's lie-detector scene will make you laugh out loud (good acting, great writing), but Walsh's lie-detector scene will make you sweat. Does any actor since Peter Lorre do pure anxiety better than Dylan Walsh?

The director, who clearly enjoys drawing our attention to so many visual details, was right to comment that his movie was "almost" perfect; no movie is perfect if it can't manage a scene in a car without yanking the rear-view mirror. I HATE that! We've overcome the difficulties of ceilings and wall-to-wall carpeting, but in this age of Industrial Light & Magic, why oh why is it still so hard to show us the rear-view mirror?

Some interesting film and editing techniques for a TV movie. Probably would have had more impact if originally broadcast in '96 as intended. The wackiness gets a little tiring at times, but the fresh approach makes up for it. Quite a good job by Shields. It's hard at first not to be aware that it's "Brooke Shields," but her growth as an actress and her seemingly natural flare for comedy allows you to eventually just enjoy her character. She seemed to be having a blast. I laughed out loud a couple of times. Worth at least one viewing.