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DokBrowne [ 9.0 ]
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What jeff_v wrote, seconded. This isn't just a delightful play on the romantic caper film (echoing the likes of "Ocean's 11" and "Out of Sight" without being in theirs or anyone's debt) but a pleasant reminder than adult entertainment still matters (too bad it tanked financially, then). I also agree that there could've been more meat to the story, or at least a better way of hiding how little there is if the final shot hadn't lingered so long (and so deliberately) on that feeling of emptiness, but I'll go ahead and remember the highlights instead - fantastic casting (Clive Owen is born for this, Julia Roberts is always better when downplaying her giddy antics, Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson fit their parts so well they seem written specifically for the two actors, and the lively tertiary cast all bring their A-games), insanely gorgeous geography, wonderfully suave mood, witty dialogue impeccably delivered, an underscoring of light-hearted fun, and a crafty screenplay that tries its best to screw with us, even if the ultimate twist was, at least to me, fairly evident from the start (it depends on us assuming that one character is less self-aware and cunning than all the rest, which of course is folly to anyone familiar with this type of movie). Because it leads nowhere particularly brilliant and has been done before (with the same actors, even), I should re-think my high rating, but I am charmed to my core by this "genre" especially when executed so tightly (the "Ocean's 11" remake for example has become one of my very favorite movies)
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jeff_v [ 7.5 ]
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Yay, an entertaining movie for grown-ups! I thought they didn't make those anymore. Seems like everything either bows to the cult of the teenager or cravenly begs for Oscars. Writer-director Tony Gilroy treats the story like a toy, having fun with rug-pulling and alternating between leaving the audience in the dark and giving them just enough information to think they know what's going on. Makes for a fun ride, even if I'm left with the feeling I often get after a David Mamet movie of admiring the cleverness but wishing there were something that penetrated more deeply.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.5 |
| No. Ratings | : 6 | |
| No. Reviews | : 4 | |
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