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The Impostors

The Impostors

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lighthearted, fun ode to old screwball comedies
Review: Comedy fans who aren't much interested in classic films may not really "get" this film. They may get turned off by what they see as exaggerated acting and meandering plot, not understanding that both are done on purpose. Hopefully not though, as this film is still funny on the surface.

This is, however, an absolute "must-see" for anyone who likes the Marx brothers, Laurel & Hardy, or any of those great screwball comedies from the 30's and 40's. For most films of that genre, the plots only served as a template for a series of funny exchanges or situations. Stanley Tucci, and Oliver Platt deliver hilarious performances as poor, bumbling actors whose ambition far outweigh their intelligence. They use their wits, such as they are, to hide on a cruise ship from a famous alcoholic actor they rumbled with (the wonderfully hammy Alfred Molina) and a campy German cruise employee (Campbell Scott), who would seem better served running a Gestapo. The stowaways find help from another ship employee (Lili Taylor, playing against type, looking adorably lovely) and her weak but friendly Italian boyfriend. One would fear that their romance would spoil parts of the movie as such sublots are prone to do, but thankfully, the makers stuck to comedy the whole way.

Probably the most impressive aspect of this relatively lesser-known film is the great supporting cast. In addition to Molina, Scott and Taylor, we get fine (as well as fun to watch) performances from Steve Buscemi, Alison Janney, Billy Connolly, Richard Jenkins and Tony Shalhoub. In addition, Hope Davis, Woody Allen, and Isabella Rossellini have minor roles.

This film will entertain people on differing levels, depending on their comedy taste, but I would definitely recommend this one who has enjoyed an old film, or seeks out humor off-the-beaten-path.










Rating: 5 stars
Summary: They don't make movies like this anymore!
Review: "The Imposters" is a genuine treat. I haven't seen a movie made like this or made this funny in a long time. It is hilarious! People in the mood for a madcap farce with plenty of mishaps is sure to enjoy this one. The supporting characters are all so wonderful as different stereotypes, but the real treat is watching Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt, who have perfect deadpan expressions. You can't go wrong with this one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: They don't make movies like this anymore!
Review: "The Imposters" is a genuine treat. I haven't seen a movie made like this or made this funny in a long time. It is hilarious! People in the mood for a madcap farce with plenty of mishaps is sure to enjoy this one. The supporting characters are all so wonderful as different stereotypes, but the real treat is watching Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt, who have perfect deadpan expressions. You can't go wrong with this one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is the funniest movie ever made!!!
Review: "The Imposters" is is one of the wittiest, most charming movies ever made. If you would lke a real treat, I suggest purchasing this movie. Stanley Tucci is at his best, an absolute charismatic magnet!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Do You Suppose...?
Review: ...that someone will tally the multitudinous reviews of this wonderful movie and finally decide to market the video at a fair price? I've been waiting YEARS now. There are so many wonderful characters and moments, not to mention the music, background music to the best party anybody could ever want to have. Shakespearian hams, cheesy accents, demented sheiks, a *moist* Nazi, unlikely physical attractions -- this movie has them all.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A sublime and ridiculous comedy!
Review: After the dubious merits of Big Night (in spite of winning awards, etc.), Stanley Tucci crafted this perfect gem of a comedy. While Big Night seemed to strain for its laughs, this one's a flawless laugh riot. At the beginning of the film, Tucci, very clever in his writing, evokes Laurel and Hardy--he's paired with Oliver Platt and the two are so redolent of the famous comedy duo of the past it's uncanny. In fact, in one scene, Tucci's expressions are a dead ringer for Stan Laurel's. I nearly fell off my chair!

In another scene, one of Tucci's disguises calls to mind Groucho Marx and while he doesn't mimic Groucho's lines or behavior, the look is also reminiscent enough to bring up a chuckle or two.

But it's not the calling to mind of past comedians that supplies the bulk of the humor--it's the clever situations. Tucci and Platt, playing unemployed actors, fall in with as diverse a group of characters as you could hope to find on board a pleasure cruise ship. Bearing in mind that the setting is the 30s, the dialogue snaps, crackles and pops, and the actors are all great. Campbell Scott as the perfect German, Steve Buscemi as the suicidal entertainer, Hope Davis as the morose daughter of Dana Ivey who plays a now near-impoverished widow, and Billy Connolly as an award-winning athlete who glories in the, shall we say, perfect attributes of the male species--you can see that everybody was having a blast doing the movie. They all relish what they're doing and it shows.

This is not a meaty work, but in its froth it's so tempting and side-splitting, it's definitely worth seeing--if not owning. In addition to which, there is a cameo by a surprise, uncredited personality (quite well known) who adds his problems to the frustrations of Maurice and Arthur, the two unemployed thespians.

Great job, Stanley!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Excellent!"
Review: Although I completely agree that the movie was funny, one of the best things about this movie that I haven't read in these reviews is the post-post-modern investigation about identity, masks and creation of the self.

Hat's off to Mr. Tucci for his originality and depth.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hats off to Mr. Tucci and friends
Review: Another impressive display from Stanley Tucci, who's recent acting and directorial (and in this case, screenwriting as well) efforts has earned him critical acclaim and a new legion of loyal fans. While not nearly as strong or satisfying as Big Night, the film is nevertheless far more entertaining than most of the "comedies" that have come out of Hollywood in recent years. A salute to the Golden Age of Hollywood's slapstick comedians (Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin, Keaton, et al.), The Imposters is a lighthearted treat for those who love the movies but constantly find themselves thinking, "They just don't make'em like they used to."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Long on premise, short on delivery
Review: First off, something I liked: The production value of the film and the DVD transfer is very good. Sadly, this is the best I can say about the film.

The film itself? A good premise poorly executed. Firstly, the previously-mentioned overacting is wholsesale replacement for actual acting by all the characters. Any real acting in The Impostors is torpedoed by "performances" so over-the-top you're expecting John Lovitz' "Great Actor" character from SNL to stride onto the screen, waving his arms and yelling, "Stop it! Stop it!" The worst offenders are Steve Buscemi, Alfred Molina and Isabella Rosselini, whose performances are nothing but overacting to the extent the character is nothing but air. You watch the film with a sort of horrified fascination, unable to tear yoursaelf away from this train-wreck of talent by so many actors who should have known better. The overacting stuns you until it inevitably bores you.

What acting there is (spasms of it by Oliver Platt and more evenly by Lili Taylor) is acceptable, but still nothing to risk a dime for. To say the characters are written one-dimensionally leaves no room to describe their portrayal. Archie and Jughead get more character development than the two main characters in this film. Director Tucci completely failed to engage my attention with any of the characters. They were dull, monotonal, uninteresting and I didn't give a fig for them.

Stanley Tucci does a fine job of playing Stanley Tucci. Unfortunately, Stanley Tucci as himself is not a compelling actor. Oliver Platt, one of my favorite actors, does his best to powerboat his way through heavy seas of melodrama and actually succeeds in bits and pieces. Given this film, that says a lot.

What purports to be a tribute to screwball comedies of the 1930s-1940s turns heavy-handed, stupid; and--worst of all--boring. This movie is a dog, and a dead one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: SCREW BALL COMEDY
Review: GREAT SCREW BALL COMEDY WITH THE GREAT CAST FROM BIG NIGHT. I LOVED THIS MOVIE AS STANLEY TUCCI IS ON A ROLL AGAIN AFTER BIG NIGHT. BEST SCENE IS THE DANCING TO THE SONG (I GET IDEAS). ENJOY.


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