Z/Web

Author: Hugh Wilson and Peter Torokvei

Director: Hugh Wilson

This film was incredibly disappointing. It wasn’t the least bit funny, nor were any of the characters sympathetic. Shirley Maclaine’s character was supposed to be annoying and she was, but even when she wasn’t supposed to be annoying she was. And Nicolas Cage was such a doormat I wanted to punch him myself! I frankly wished they’d all drop off a cliff and leave me in peace. The ending was muddled and confusing — I couldn’t even tell if the kidnapping was real or staged or what was going on. I’ve never heard the phrase “Yes, Ma’am” more times in my entire life — and I hope to never hear it again!

Author: David Mamet

Director: David Mamet

This is a slow-moving, mesmerizing account of con artists pulling a scam. It’s intelligently done, though overly complicated, and the ending is contrived. Still, I was glad it ended happily, as this is one of those movies were tons of bad stuff happens to the innocent, sympathetic lead, and if it had ended badly it would have been a horrible movie. What most intrigued me was the pace — slow and intriguing. I never did understand the title line. It refers to a con of a sort, but I couldn’t figure out what it had to do with anything.