The specter of Tarantino hangs heavily over this comic caper film, as evidenced by an opening scene in which a pair of dense gangsters debate the merits of the classic 1970s film "Deliverance".
Also reminiscent of the crime comedies of Donald Westlake, the unfortunately titled "Who Is Cletis Tout?" tries so hard to be quirky and funny that the strain is all too evident. A top-notch cast has been as-sembled here, but the overly artificial screenplay doesn't support their fine and even understated efforts.
The film begins promisingly, with a bouncy, fun credit sequence that wouldn't have been out of place in a '60s hipster comedy. But the film quickly becomes bogged down in an overly complicated and terribly self-conscious story line involving two thieves and a hit man with a penchant for old movies.
Finch (Christian Slater), a specialist in fraud and forgery, and Micah (Richard Dreyfuss), a magician and jewel thief, break out of prison together and team up to recover the stash of stolen diamonds that Micah heisted two decades earlier. Finch, with the aid of a rambunctious coroner (Billy Connolly, who completely runs away with the film in his brief scenes), arranges for new identities for the two of them.
Unfortunately, the identity he has chosen for himself, Cletis Tout, happens to belong to a sleazy journalist who made the unfortunate mistake of trying to blackmail the mob. Tout was murdered, but when Finch starts showing up around town with the same name, the mob bosses assume that they missed and attempt to rectify their error.
This leads to an all too convoluted chain of events, ultimately involving Micah's loving daughter, Tess (Portia de Rossi), and Critical Jim (Tim Allen), the movie-mad hit man. At the film's start, he has captured Finch, who proceeds to recount the entirety of the story in what amounts to a full-length flashback.
The movie, while clever in its construction, is ultimately defeated by its jokey tone, which unfortunately lacks the wit to sustain its premise. This is particularly the case with the character of Critical Jim, who quickly becomes wearisome.
Fortunately, the lead actors, not always known for their restraint, deliver understated performances that help compensate for the artificiality of their material. Ultimately, however, one gets the feeling that writer-director Chris Ver Wiel, like Critical Jim, has seen far too many old movies for his own good.
WHO IS CLETIS TOUT?
Paramount Classics
Fireworks Pictures and Peter Hoffman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Chris Ver Wiel
Producers: Matt Grimaldi, Robert Snukal, Dan Grodnik, Jay Firestone, Adam Haight
Executive producer: Daniel Diamond
Director of photography: Jerzy Zielinski
Production designer: Charles Rosen
Editor: Roger Bondelli
Music: Randy Edelman
Cast:
Finch: Christian Slater
Critical Jim: Tim Allen
Tess Donnelly: Portia de Rossi
Micah: Richard Dreyfuss
Dr Savian: Billy Connolly
Detective Tripp: Peter MacNeill
Detective Delaney: Bill MacDonald
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Also reminiscent of the crime comedies of Donald Westlake, the unfortunately titled "Who Is Cletis Tout?" tries so hard to be quirky and funny that the strain is all too evident. A top-notch cast has been as-sembled here, but the overly artificial screenplay doesn't support their fine and even understated efforts.
The film begins promisingly, with a bouncy, fun credit sequence that wouldn't have been out of place in a '60s hipster comedy. But the film quickly becomes bogged down in an overly complicated and terribly self-conscious story line involving two thieves and a hit man with a penchant for old movies.
Finch (Christian Slater), a specialist in fraud and forgery, and Micah (Richard Dreyfuss), a magician and jewel thief, break out of prison together and team up to recover the stash of stolen diamonds that Micah heisted two decades earlier. Finch, with the aid of a rambunctious coroner (Billy Connolly, who completely runs away with the film in his brief scenes), arranges for new identities for the two of them.
Unfortunately, the identity he has chosen for himself, Cletis Tout, happens to belong to a sleazy journalist who made the unfortunate mistake of trying to blackmail the mob. Tout was murdered, but when Finch starts showing up around town with the same name, the mob bosses assume that they missed and attempt to rectify their error.
This leads to an all too convoluted chain of events, ultimately involving Micah's loving daughter, Tess (Portia de Rossi), and Critical Jim (Tim Allen), the movie-mad hit man. At the film's start, he has captured Finch, who proceeds to recount the entirety of the story in what amounts to a full-length flashback.
The movie, while clever in its construction, is ultimately defeated by its jokey tone, which unfortunately lacks the wit to sustain its premise. This is particularly the case with the character of Critical Jim, who quickly becomes wearisome.
Fortunately, the lead actors, not always known for their restraint, deliver understated performances that help compensate for the artificiality of their material. Ultimately, however, one gets the feeling that writer-director Chris Ver Wiel, like Critical Jim, has seen far too many old movies for his own good.
WHO IS CLETIS TOUT?
Paramount Classics
Fireworks Pictures and Peter Hoffman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Chris Ver Wiel
Producers: Matt Grimaldi, Robert Snukal, Dan Grodnik, Jay Firestone, Adam Haight
Executive producer: Daniel Diamond
Director of photography: Jerzy Zielinski
Production designer: Charles Rosen
Editor: Roger Bondelli
Music: Randy Edelman
Cast:
Finch: Christian Slater
Critical Jim: Tim Allen
Tess Donnelly: Portia de Rossi
Micah: Richard Dreyfuss
Dr Savian: Billy Connolly
Detective Tripp: Peter MacNeill
Detective Delaney: Bill MacDonald
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/23/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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