Matchstick Men (2003)

MATCHSTICK MEN (2003) / ***

Directed by Ridley Scott. Screenplay by Nicholas Griffin and Ted Griffin, based on the novel by Eric Garcia. Starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman. Running time: 116 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on September 17th, 2003.

By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN

Synopsis: Roy (Cage) is a career con man who suffers from a dizzying array of neuroses. On the advice of his partner (Rockwell), Roy visits a psychiatrist, Klein (Bruce Altman). Upon learning that Roy's ex-wife was pregnant when she left him more than a decade earlier, Klein encourages Roy to meet his child, and Roy is soon playing the reluctant father to Angela (Lohman). But when Angela shows a propensity for the con game, Roy finds himself inadvertently inveigling her in a risky scheme.

Review: On the surface, "Matchstick Men" looks like a renter at best -- the story of a neurotic con-man who grows as a person after meeting his estranged daughter. Melodramatic, fitfully funny, movie-of-the-week material, right? Well, that might be the natural conclusion, but only if one were to reckon without the talent of many of the film's primary contributors. Thanks in large measure to their skill, "Matchstick Men" rises above such meagre expectations, and emerges as a deceptively absorbing film. Consider Lohman, for example. Her character, Angela, is supposed to be fourteen years old, but the actress herself is a decade older than that and, while she's certainly a young-looking twenty-four, it's still hard to fathom her at Angela's age. But whereas many movies expect us to buy into teenagers who look old enough to be their own parents, "Matchstick Men" acknowledges this apparent flaw, and much of the fun results. Then there's Cage, whose idiosyncratic Roy should be all but unwatchable. But -- not unlike his tour-de-force performances in "Adaptation." -- Cage finds a way to make us like Roy, despite (or perhaps because of) all his foibles. Cleverly scripted, "Matchstick Men" respects its audience, coming across as neither too hokey nor overly saccharine. It may not be an Oscar contender, but it's nonetheless a pleasant surprise.

Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html

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