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"'Crooks'
and Crannies"
by Scott Mantz
"Small Time Crooks"
Woody Allen, Tracey Ullman
Directed by Woody Allen
If you look
up the words "acquired taste" in the Hollywood dictionary, there's
no doubt that you'll find a picture of Woody Allen. While his constant
complaining and self-deprecating humor can be funny to some people,
it can be annoying to others. Still, you can pretty much count on
him playing the same type of role in all his movies, whether he
writes them, directs them, stars in them, or does all of the above
(which he usually does). And if he's not the one complaining, then
he gets someone else to do it for him (check out Kenneth Branagh
in "Celebrity," and you'll see what I mean).
Whether you
like his style or not, you still have to be impressed by how prolific
he is as a director, averaging more than one film each year. While
they may not do gangbusters at the box office, they still turn a
profit, thanks to small budgets and many A-list celebrities working
for bargain prices (no doubt wooed by Allen's Oscar-nominated track
record). His 32nd movie, "Small Time Crooks," is par-for-the-course
Woody, which is to say that there's plenty of complaining and self-deprecating
humor. Still, thanks to a mainstream story with a strong subliminal
message, sharp one-liners, and an excellent performance from the
wonderful Tracey Ullman, "Crooks" not only deserves a place on the
shelf with Allen's best films, but it also stands on its own right
as an enjoyable moviegoing experience.
Ray (Woody Allen)
and Frenchy Winkler (Tracey Ullman) are a happily married couple,
which is to say that they argue--a lot. He's a former thief who
now washes dishes for a living, while she pulls in the bucks by
painting nails. It's a ho-hum existence, until Ray gets one of his
bright ideas. There's a store for rent right next to the local bank.
They will lease the store, dig a tunnel to the bank, rob it, and
be long gone before anybody notices. Frenchy turns the store into
a cookie shop as a cover, but the cookies are so good that it becomes
a huge hit. Within a year, their cookie shop turns into a huge baking
empire, and they now have more money than they know what to do with.
If they thought robbing a bank was tough, now they have to deal
with all the pressures that come with their newfound status.
For such an
unassuming film, "Small Time Crooks" sure carries a pretty weighty
message--money can't buy love (although The Beatles may have had
a hand in that one too). It's obvious that Ray and Frenchy don't
fit in with their rich new lifestyle. Even though Ray now finds
himself eating the finest meals of his life, all he wants is a big
ol' greasy cheeseburger. He can buy anything he wants, but he still
can't resist the urge to pull off another heist when he gets the
chance. Frenchy tries a lot harder to fit in, even at the neglect
of her marriage, but she learns the hard way that she was much better
off when she was just painting nails.
Just like with
the characters he plays in the rest of his films, Woody Allen is--you
guessed it--complaining and self-deprecating. He turns out to have
some of the best lines in the film, but the real revelation is Tracey
Ullman. After years of co-starring with Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow,
Allen has finally met his match in Ullman. She's quirky and odd,
but she's also adorable and sensitive. Sure, his constant nagging
can be irritating, but she throws it right back at him and holds
her own. Together, they capture the relationship between a man and
a women who may not be able to live with each other, but they can't
live without each other either (much like Ralph and Alice Kramden
in "The Honeymooners"). Put them together, and you have two characters
who compliment each other like no other couple before in a Woody
Allen picture.
What would any
Woody Allen picture be like without the cast of supporting characters
who would work for food to be in one of his films? Hugh Grant takes
a sidestep from playing his usual bumbling Englishman and instead
plays a snobby Englishman (big stretch). Michael Rapaport and Jon
Lovitz play the well-meaning morons who try to help Allen rob the
bank, but the best part in the film (after Ullman) goes to Elaine
May, Ullman's cousin who has yet to learn to keep her big mouth
shut.
You should find
what you do best and stick with it. Woody Allen is best at making
his style of movies, while the characters in "Small Time Crooks"
realize that they had it best all along. They may have been lucky
enough to survive the events that befall them, but everything happens
for a reason. By trying to be someone other than who you really
are, the only person you end up robbing is yourself.
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