6/10
A Fun, Cheeky Film With a Cinematic Genius and M. Lawrence
27 August 2006
Tim Robbins is a fantastic actor. He was wonderful in "Shawshank Redemption", and "Mystic River" and pretty much everything else he's ever done (even "Anchorman"). He was wonderful in this movie, even though it didn't really demand a lot of talent.

A man (Robbins) finds his wife in bed with his boss, and after being almost robbed at gunpoint comes up with the genius idea to steal his boss's fortune. Along with Martin Lawrence, he becomes a criminal mastermind.

Martin Lawrence is a great comedian on film. "Black Knight" and "Blue Streak" are both wonderful and this film is no exception. His show "Martin" was less sophisticated, but luckily he has shied away from that. The writer/director is Steve Oedekirk, originally (I believe) a writer for "In Living Color" after being discovered on "Star Search". He's now best known for "Kung Pow! Enter the Fist" and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", and you'll find more of that stupid but clever humor here.

The film's use of music is funny, if poorly conceived. One scene involves an impromptu dance by Robbins to "Scatman" which should be stupid, but proved some chuckles. Odekirk cameos as a security guard who likes to sing and dance, which plays into the plot very well.

Add the very sexy Rebecca Gayheart, Michael McKean and John C. McKInley (who seems to guest star in pretty much everything) and you've got yourself a quirky comedy with a very diverse and talented ensemble cast. This will likely not be your favorite film and you might not even remember it a year from now, but it's certainly worth at least one shot. Because, heck, Tim Robbins can do no wrong.

Oh, and if you like vulgarity, there is a (very funny) scene where the F-word is used nearly fifty times in a two minute span. So, that's fun.
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