Small Time Crooks take the Biscuit! (Small Time Crooks (DVD))

Member Name: Shekera

Product:	Small Time Crooks (DVD)
Date:	04/06/02 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hysterically funny, Good acting from Tracy Ullman

Disadvantages: Simple plot

Woody Allen (also writer and director) plays the part of Ray Winkler who is a no-class New Jerseyite ex-con, working as a dishwasher and living in the upper West Side of Manhattan. His wife, Frenchy (Francis Fox) Winkler played by Tracy Ullman (who was nominated for Best Actress (Musical/Comedy) at the 2001 Golden Globe Awards) is a manicurist with a “grating” New Jersey accent.

Ray and Frenchy have been married for twenty-five years and have fallen into a rut, which they are finding hard to escape from. Although Frenchy appears to have spent her married life trying to keep Allen on the straight and narrow, he still has big dreams of getting rich quick and moving to Florida.

In order to fulfil Ray’s dream, he comes up with a half-baked plan to rob a bank, to which Frenchy is dead set against as in order for Ray to set this scheme up, he needs to pool their life savings of $6,000 with that of three dim-witted friends (Tommy, Denny, and Benny) so that they can lease an empty ex-Pizza Parlour which is two door down from the bank.

Ray, with his erratic charm, eventually wins Frenchy over and convinces her to run the front for their operation, a cookie store – other than cookies, Frenchy’s culinary skills are just limited to spaghetti and meatballs! Ray and his cronies’ plan to tunnel from the cookie store through to the bank.

However, this hair brain scheme goes terrible wrong when firstly, they drill through a water main and flood the basement of the store, and then secondly, when they do actually manage to tunnel through, they have read the plans upside-down and come up through a dress shop on the opposite side to the bank!

However, in the meantime, ironically, whilst this is all taking place down below, Frenchy’s cookie business is booming and they are selling like the proverbial “hotcake” - she has customer’s queuing down the street to buy her cookies. Becau
se they are so popular; Frenchy cannot cope with running the store and baking the cookies single handily, so they employ her cousin, May, played by Elaine May (who received a Best Supporting Actress Award for her role). May is both dim and scaty and tells it as she sees it which on several occasions nearly blows their cover.

This is not the “get-rich-quick” scheme they had in mind, but because the bank robbery is a total failure, they decide that developing the Cookie business would leave them rolling in another kind of dough!

As they expand the cookie business and set up franchises of “Sunset Farm Cookies” all over the country, the wealth goes to Frenchy’s head and they move to a larger Manhattan apartment. Frenchy’s taste in décor leaves much to be desired and she furnishes it with mock animal prints, gold statutes of animals and rather grand furniture and objects such as a gold harp which is not for playing, just for looking at!

This is highlighted when they give a dinner party to which some influential guests are invited – Frenchy overhears them commenting on the poor taste and over the top décor. One of the guests includes David an art dealer, (played by Hugh Grant), who was a stockbroker and wine importer, and who Frenchy sees as someone who could help her move into the “upper” social circles to which she is eager to belong.

Frenchy and Ray employ David to teach them about the finer things of life, including educating them on the subject of art etc. David agrees to become their “Henry Higgins” but Ray cannot cope with the culture shock and makes excuses so that he can stay home and “slob” out, whilst David takes Frenchy around the museums and art galleries. It is obvious that David sees Frenchy as an opportunity to get rich and “butters her up” accordingly.

However, whilst on a a cultural trip to Venice with David, Frenchy re
ceives a phone call demanding that she returns to New York at once, which she does only to find that her Accountants have committed fraud and made her bankrupt.

When David is told of the news, he throw a tantrum as his “scheming” financial plans are out of the window – all he has left is a diamond encrusted cigarette box, (which once belonged to the Duke of Windsor) which Frenchy gave him as a gift. Frenchy asks for this to be returned, but David declines and puts it in his safe. The story ends by Ray returning to Frenchy to commiserate their bad fortune, however, all is not lost as Frenchy had put to use all that she had learnt from Ray regarding safe cracking etc. and had managed to retrieve the cigarette box. The film closes with them making plans to sell the box and move to Florida after all.

CAST:

Elaine May (May)
Elaine Stritch (Mrs Potter)
George Grizsard (Mr Blint)
Hugh Grant (David)
John Lovitz (Benny)
Michael Rapaport (Denny)
Tony Darrow (Tommy)
Tracy Ullman (Frenchy Winkler)
Woody Allen (Ray Winkler)

DVD SCENE INDEX:

The DVD comprised twenty chapters as follows:

1. Belgian Chocolates
2. It’s My Money
3. The Master Plan
4. Making An Offer
5. Drilling Season
6. A Shaky Start
7. Hired Help
8. We Screwed Up
9. A Baking Empire
10. Dinner Party
11. The Finer Things
12. Pizza ad Poker
13. Expensive Gifts
14. I Want Out
15. Bankrupt
16. Lessons In Life
17. The Necklace
18. Get The Doctor
19. Everybody Makes Mistakes
20. End Credits

RUNNING TIME:

The film running time is 94 minute.

SUMMARY:

If you enjoy a lighthearted comedy and are a fan of Woody Allen, then I recommend this film. It was hilarious, and the plot, in places was quite predictable. Tracy Ullman’s performance was excellent, her character was very funny, and some of her lines w
ere extremely witty. Hugh Grant played his usual part of sophisticated English gentlemen.

Summary: