Hey everyone! Well, this year has been quite rich in Indie/Small Budget film releases so far….I’ve seen 11, with two more still waiting in the wings that have yet to make an appearance in my local theaters, and now, thanks to the wonderful world of On Demand, the 12th one has been viewed. So, therefore, I give you a film written by Joel & Ethan Cohen and directed by Michael Hoffman (“One Fine Day“), “Gambit”.
Based on the same general premise as the original 1966 film starring Michael Caine & Shirley MacLaine (can we get some more “aine”s in there, please? Ha!), this updated version finds us following the adventures of expert art appraiser and curator in London, Harry Deane (Colin Firth), who, despite being the master of art that he is, is constantly at the beck and call of his unrelenting and totally abusive boss, Lionel Shahbandar (the always entertaining Alan Rickman), a serious cad and media mogul who has an affinity for collecting priceless pieces of art, especially obsessed with getting his hands on Monet’s “Haystacks Dusk” after already having “stolen” the sister piece “Haystacks Dawn” out from under the nose of a Japanese businessman and competitor Mr. Takagawa (Togo Igawa) at an auction. Wanting to get revenge on Shahbandar for his many mistreatments, Deane decides to hatch a con to sell his boss a fake “Haystacks Dusk”, re-created by Deane’s partner and the narrator of the story, The Major (Tom Courtenay). Deane then travels to America, specifically to Texas, to track down a living relative of someone who had been in possession of Monet’s “Haystacks Dusk” (we see the story behind it) and find this person is rodeo queen P.J. Puznowski (Cameron Diaz, in full goofy blond mode, complete with over-the-top Southern accent). Initially following her after a rodeo event to a local bar, Deane has the perfect picture in his mind of how the whole plan will go (which is quite funny in itself, and one hilarious scene with his boss in particular)…until he comes back to reality and the fact he actually needs to TALK to P.J. in order to offer her the half million Pounds for her services. After a bit of maneuvering to set things up (that includes a brief appearance by veteran actress Cloris Leachman), Deane is back to London convincing Shahbandar that P.J. is selling the Monet, that it is real, and to allow her to come to London with the painting to have it appraised. Once P.J. arrives in London and meets Shahbandar, the hijinks really start to kick in as unexpectedly, P.J. is swept off of her feet by him and suddenly Deane’s plan begins to unravel in precarious, hilarious, and nonsensical ways. Shahbandar treats P.J. like a queen, putting her up at the Savoy Hotel, taking her out on the town, and even to a business meeting with the Japanese media company executives whom he is trying to buy out, not knowing there is more to this group of people than is evident at first. And to add even FURTHER insult to Deane, Shahbandar decides to bring in a NEW appraiser for the painting in the form of the eccentric German, Martin Zaidenweber (Stanley Tucci), who is one of Deane’s least favorite people next to his boss. Deane continues to fall into nutty situations as his jealousy over P.J. threatens to undermine the whole operation. But ultimately, when everything comes down to a certain moment to choice, everyone’s true colors come through, tables turn, and things wind up much differently than one might expect….or maybe not, depending on what you THINK the outcome will be.
This was a fun little film, and in so many ways, it’s hard to criticize Firth and Rickman, as they are SUCH quality actors who bring great acting attributes to the table in any roles they play. Firth’s Deane goes from gentleman, to raging nuttiness, to a Mr. Bean-like goof seamlessly as the story unfolds and the craziness begins. Rickman excels, frankly, at playing cads, and his Shahbandar is no exception, just oozing egotistic venom and snobbishness that BEGS to be laughed at because it’s just SO silly. Diaz doesn’t have to stretch at ALL to play P.J., but rather has to come along for the ride with the two veteran thespians she’s up against. But, she does fine for what was needed for the character, and seeing P.J. actually BEING smart is in itself chuckle worthy. Tom Courtenay’s The Major was a welcome bit of deadpan comedy relief throughout the film as the narrator, his quips about the characters are very entertaining. Apparently, this film was lauded very much, and while we all have a different sense of humor, I know I was pleasantly surprised by this effort, especially once I realized it was written by the Cohen Brothers, since their last effort, late 2013’s “Inside Llewyn Davis” made me want to watch family films and cartoons for the rest of my life it was so depressing. And also coming to the knowledge that the director, Michael Hoffman, had been the one that made Clooney and Pfeiffer so good in “One Fine Day”, made me appreciate the style of humor he brought out of the Cohen’s script. And again, it is an eclectic blend of humor in the movie, with the mix of dry, goofy slapstick, and British-style. In conclusion, I found it worth the On Demand price (which IS also cheaper than the theater!) to see it and think it is worthy to at least view once for some laughs and silliness.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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