Matchstick Men (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Director Ridley Scott takes on dark comedy in his new film, 'Matchstick Men'. Roy (Nicholas Cage) and Frank (Sam Rockwell) are professional con men. In this film, they happen to be swindling some cheapo water filtration systems. Dumb people will pay top price for them and think they're winning big prizes such as cars and vacations (which they'll never receive, of course). Roy, an OCD agoraphobe with no friends (outside of Frank) is barely able to work, no less deal with the revelation that an unknown teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman) has entered his life. This film is intimate, well-acted, & loads of fun to experience.
Hanging onto his nerves by the skin of his teeth, Roy can barely thrive as a con man with the inflammation of his unfortunate psychosis. He's seeing a psychiatrist, but the fact that a 14 yr. old girl has entered his life is shaking things up even more so. She is the one who sought him out, wanting to meet the dad she's never known; he's completely sideblinded by this. At first, she's a huge disruption, asking him a million questions about his job. But they settle-in to a growing father/daughter relationship & she seems to calm him down. He now likes the idea of being a father, it focuses him. But with this fatherly focus, will he inadvertently let some pivotal cons slip through his fingers? Will he and Frank be caught? Who is double-crossing who? Who's lying, who's telling the truth?
This movie displays 3 distinct portions: One, it's a character study of vulnerable human interactions; and it's handled quite well. Two, it's a good look into a 'seemingly' sweet father/daughter flick. And three, it's a whodunit of caper films; it thrives in all aspects. Alison Lohman, 24 in real life, plays a 14 yr. old convincingly! She may be the best part of this film. Cage's character is so lovingly neurotic that you laugh. Watching him tip-toe through his ultra-clean home is hysterical. Because he's so helpless in this respect, we forgive a lot of the bad things he does. And his repartee with Rockwell is witty & engaging.
'Matchstick Men' is great because we organically grow to like all of these characters. They make some no-nos, but most of these characters have good intentions & showcase great vulnerability -- they have arcs. The direction is smooth (Ridley Scott is used to making big epics). The cons are criminally interesting. The twists keep you guessing (at least I couldn't figure out what was going on, at times). The dialogue has finesse. 'Matchstick Men' really offers a clever look at con artists, their mindset, and the dishonesty & deception that is involved by many.
Hanging onto his nerves by the skin of his teeth, Roy can barely thrive as a con man with the inflammation of his unfortunate psychosis. He's seeing a psychiatrist, but the fact that a 14 yr. old girl has entered his life is shaking things up even more so. She is the one who sought him out, wanting to meet the dad she's never known; he's completely sideblinded by this. At first, she's a huge disruption, asking him a million questions about his job. But they settle-in to a growing father/daughter relationship & she seems to calm him down. He now likes the idea of being a father, it focuses him. But with this fatherly focus, will he inadvertently let some pivotal cons slip through his fingers? Will he and Frank be caught? Who is double-crossing who? Who's lying, who's telling the truth?
This movie displays 3 distinct portions: One, it's a character study of vulnerable human interactions; and it's handled quite well. Two, it's a good look into a 'seemingly' sweet father/daughter flick. And three, it's a whodunit of caper films; it thrives in all aspects. Alison Lohman, 24 in real life, plays a 14 yr. old convincingly! She may be the best part of this film. Cage's character is so lovingly neurotic that you laugh. Watching him tip-toe through his ultra-clean home is hysterical. Because he's so helpless in this respect, we forgive a lot of the bad things he does. And his repartee with Rockwell is witty & engaging.
'Matchstick Men' is great because we organically grow to like all of these characters. They make some no-nos, but most of these characters have good intentions & showcase great vulnerability -- they have arcs. The direction is smooth (Ridley Scott is used to making big epics). The cons are criminally interesting. The twists keep you guessing (at least I couldn't figure out what was going on, at times). The dialogue has finesse. 'Matchstick Men' really offers a clever look at con artists, their mindset, and the dishonesty & deception that is involved by many.