Main Cast: Kirk Douglas, Dan Aykroyd, Corbin Allred, Lauren Bacall, Kurt Fuller
Release Year: 1999
Country: DE/US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A elderly man and his estranged son search for treasure and try to repair their relationship in this bittersweet comedy. Harry Agensky (Kirk Douglas) is a one-time welterweight boxing champion who lives in Canada with his son Moses (Kurt Fuller). Harry's other son, Lance (Dan Aykroyd), feels that his father never really cared about his dreams and ambitions, and now Lance has little affection for his Dad. However, Lance's relationship with his teenage son Michael (Corbin Allred) is not faring much better. Lonely since the death of his wife and infirm due to a stroke, Harry wants to retire to a ranch in Northern Canada, but he can't afford the property. Lance invites Harry along for a skiing trip with Michael; Harry agrees, but at the last minute he talks them into going to Nevada instead. Harry claims he threw a fight years ago and was paid off in a cache of diamonds that he hid somewhere in Vegas; if he can find the gems, he'll be able to buy the ranch. Lance is dubious, but he gives in to Harry's determination and the three head for Nevada, hoping to find both the diamonds and some common ground. Diamonds was Kirk Douglas's first film after a life-threatening stroke in 1997; Lauren Bacall appears in a small role as a madam in a Nevada brothel, marking her first appearance onscreen with Douglas since Young Man with a Horn in 1950. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Diamonds is somewhat of a formulaic family-bonding/road movie, but it's notable for a couple of reasons. It features Kirk Douglas as a recovering stroke victim, which may be the only role he is able to play these days, but as one of his first roles after his illness, it is remarkable that he is still able to have such a powerful presence onscreen. Secondly, the plot involves a small mystery concerning some missing diamonds that, while not setting the convention on it's ear, is still engaging enough to break up the two sometimes tiresome father-son story lines involving Douglas and his son, played by a likable Dan Aykroyd, and Aykroyd and his son, played by Corbin Allred. These relationships too often fall into the cliché of the squabbling parents and children, but in the other relationships, particularly between Allred and Douglas, the chemistry is very real and at times can pull at the heartstrings a bit without becoming a cloying feature. The whole concept of the trip and the search for the diamonds is a good framing device, but it falls victim to the obvious desire of the filmmakers to showcase Douglas and make broad statements about familial relationships. One very funny sequence involves a visit by the three men to a bordello where they each have very different experiences. Allred is paired off with Jenny McCarthy, who, say what you will about her, is very good in small comedic roles. The madam, played by Lauren Bacall, is also a very humorous part and the whole sequence involving Douglas and the prostitutes is hysterical. The ending is a little too tidy and predictable, but this film should not raise anyone's outlook to expect otherwise. Bacall and Douglas are a charming pairing seen onscreen only once before in Young Man With a Horn. Diamonds is very well-crafted and competent, but isn't going to break any new ground. Fortunately, it doesn't have to. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
Dan Parada - Casting, Richard Fox - First Assistant Director, John Asher - Director, C. Timothy O'Meara - Editor, Gerald Green - Executive Producer, Rainer Bienger - Executive Producer, Joel Goldsmith - Composer (Music Score), Vance Lorenzini - Production Designer, Paul Elliott - Cinematographer, Patricia T. Green - Producer, Kelly Rush - Sound/Sound Designer, Allan Katz - Screenwriter, Allan Aaron Katz - Screenwriter
