Themes: Fathers and Daughters, Cons and Scams, Therapy
Main Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman, Bruce Altman, Bruce McGill, Fran Kranz
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Ridley Scott directs the crime comedy Matchstick Men, based on the novel of the same name by Eric Garcia. Neurotic con man Roy (Nicolas Cage) suffers from several emotional problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He and his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) swindle people out of money by posing as money collectors who promise things like tax refunds, package vacations, and other fabulous prizes (which they never get). Frank wants to pull a really big job, but Roy is too consumed with fear and panic attacks to join him. Only cigarettes and his trusty illegal prescription drugs seem to keep him going. When Roy finds himself in desperate need of more pills, he is forced to see legitimate psychotherapist Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman). Roy ends up talking about his emotional damage from a troubled marriage and divorce, which results in the discovery of a child whom he has never met. Dr. Klein suggests that he spend a weekend with the kid, so in walks teenaged Angela (played by twentysomething Alison Lohman). Reluctant to develop his role as a father, Roy also gets heavily involved in Frank's ambitious swindle. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
It's easy to see why a film about a con man with a legitimate personality disorder -- as opposed to the routine kind that springs from a bad childhood -- would be attractive to actors and directors. Most actors are eager to perform the tics associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and for directors, this extra plot wrinkle legitimizes their interest in an otherwise ordinary genre film. Too bad these personal artistic goals aren't quite so satisfying for the audience. In Matchstick Men, Nicolas Cage and Ridley Scott reach these accomplishments with total competence -- though it should be noted that Scott's grandiose techniques have come to seem more suited to the epics he makes, rather than small movies like this. It's just that none of it results in a very memorable movie. Scott's fascination with Roy's OCD rituals creates a kind of narrative paralysis in the film, unintentionally mirroring the character's own stunted development. These men's abilities to execute their con -- and how the unexpected arrival of Roy's daughter impacts that -- don't seem to have very urgent stakes. Furthermore, the con doesn't seem particularly ingenious, as Nicholas Griffin's script contains few of the details on technique that can keep a good grifter movie rolling. Alison Lohman does a good job in the Lolita role, seducing marks to trust her through a disarmingly natural comfort with the con game. Sam Rockwell doesn't fare so well in the other key supporting role, as he delivers yet another variation on the terminally hip wise guy with the retro wardrobe, which had brought the actor overnight overexposure by late 2003. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Michael Manson - Art Director, Debra Zane - Casting, Giannina Facio - Co-producer, Charles Schlissel - Co-producer, Michael Kaplan - Costume Designer, K.C. Hodenfield - First Assistant Director, Ridley Scott - Director, Dody Dorn - Editor, Robert Zemeckis - Executive Producer, Hans Zimmer - Composer (Music Score), Tom Foden - Production Designer, John Mathieson - Cinematographer, Ridley Scott - Producer, Steve Starkey - Producer, Ted Griffin - Producer, Sean Bailey - Producer, Jack Rapke - Producer, Nancy Nye - Set Designer, William V. Ryder - Set Designer, Lee Orloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Ted Griffin - Screenwriter, Nicholas Griffin - Screenwriter, Per Hallberg - Supervising Sound Editor, Karen Baker Landers - Supervising Sound Editor, Tracie Laymon - Set Production Assistant, Eric Garcia - Book Author
