Last week I talked a little about a movie with Dustin Hoffman as an ex-con trying to to straight, so I thought I'd follow that up with a movie with Dustin Hoffman as a guy who's broken away from his criminal past and gone straight for more than 20 years. He thought for sure he was out, but he gets pulled back in.It happens because of his son, played by Matthew Broderick. The patriarch in the family, Sean Connery, is an unregenerate rogue and crook, so for 23 years Hoffman has kept his son away from his grandfather. But genetics is a terrible thing. Broderick is fascinated by his grandfather. He drops out of college and tells Connery about a simple caper that will pay off hugely. Connery's all for it, and he finally manages to persuade Hoffman to take part. Would it surprise you to learn that things to go as planned?
I'm not going into specifics here, but some get off more lightly than others as a result of the flubbed caper. The last act of the movie is pretty much a mess, and there are a couple of plot holes that are worrisome. Still, there's a great cast and a great director, Sidney Lumet. So it's not a total loss. Judy and I went to see it in the theater, not knowing what to expect but thinking that with the cast it had, the movie would be great. It's not great. It's sort of middling, or that's my take on it. Considering all the talent involved, it should've been better. Maybe you like it more than I do.
8 comments:
It's a shame when a great cast is so wasted. But even worse when a great script is cast with bad actors.
I always chuckle when I see a reference to this movie. I mean, I know America is the great melting pot an' all, but in what universe did Sean Connery father Dustin Hoffman? Ah yes, the same universe wherein Dustin Hoffman fathered Matthew Broderick!
Yes, the family portrait is amazing. Looks like they all came from different planets.
No, I don't. I found it to be rather unpleasant all the way around.
Jeff
Also, at 52 Broderick (52! - then why is he still playing "boyish"?) could be Hoffman (77)'s son. But Connery is 84. You do the math.
Jeff
Movie math is different from real math.
True. That reminds me of Ava Gardner playing Lorne Greene's daughter in EARTHQUAKE despite only being seven years his junior. I guess they figured his white hair made him look older.
And don't even get me started on Stockard Channing playing a high school student in GREASE at age 33.
Jeff
I think most movie teens from that era or before were over 30. Over 25 for sure.
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