Customer Reviews

Just the Ticket [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this film on cable for the first time. What surprises me is how underrated this film is. This is a story about a ticket scalper, (which I don't remember seeing to often in other movies)and his troubles trying to get his life together for his love interest. The film offers a unique insight to the world of the "ticket scalper", which although not a big crime, it is a crime. Living in the city I my self have witnessed the ticket scalper on many occasions, and trust me, the hustle and bustle life style portraid in this film is for real. Being the film buff that I am, I've seen all of Andy Garcia's films, and I feel that his performance in this film is one of his best. Just the ticket contains, Drama, Romance, Comedy and best of all Garcia's charm.

Nothing heavy here! This is one movie I enjoyed with Andy in because he does show a comedic side to himself. He is actually quite good in this and Andie Mcdowell is just as cute as she can be. This is a chick flick, especially if you are an Andy fan. A light romantic comedy with a sprinkle a seriousness thrown in for good measure.

Our editorial review tells me that "Just the Ticket" was dumped into theater in the winter of 1999; well, Japanese release was much worse. It never received a theatrical release, going straight to video, and worse still, we had to wait until February of 2002! Does this lukewarm reception mean two stars' recent career decline? Whatever the reason may be, "Just the Ticket" is not as bad as those cold reaction suggests.

The best part of the film is, surprise! the two leading stars. Andy Garcia is well-cast as a ticket scalper with cute "puppy's eyes" while Andie MacDowell succeeds in exuding enough sexual chemistry to convince you that they were, and are going to be, lovers. Whenever those two likable actors share the screen, the film sparks with fire ... in the bedroom, in the kitchen, and wherever they are. I don't know how many faithful fans are watching this, but they deserve a chance to play a big role (no more "Town and Country" for Andie, please) in the film again.

Negative impressions of this romantic comedy come from, I think, two following reasons: supporting players and overlong script. Except for the good performance of Richard Bradford's Benny, who is clearly playing a losing game in front of powerful newcomers, none is memorable. And the film's tone is very uneven; it sometimes takes itself too seriously to be philosophical, but at other places it resorts to incredibly silly things -- see Andy Garcia disguised as ... a nun, for instance. No wonder the studio could not be confident in its release.

As a whole decent romantic comedy, "Just the Ticket" manages to deliver what movie fans who love this genre want to see. And the dog is cute, too. We have no fresh insider look on the world of ticket scalpers, nothing new as a romantic comedy, but two leads are so good that it is hardly possible for me to nag, though maybe I should.

I rented this movie and after watching it, I knew I had to own it. Andy Garcia is so charming in this (as well as drop dead gorgeous) - it's too bad he isn't offered more comedy roles. He was great in this as was the rest of the cast. I really enjoyed the storyline. And those eyes - ouch! I hope his wife appreciates what she gets to wake up next to every day.

I rented this because my girlfriend loves Andy Garcia. I really enjoyed his performance in the very powerful "When a MAn Loves a Woman", so I took a chance on this. I can't say I was pleasantly surprised, but I was reminded of the breadth of ability of Andy Garcia. Andy McDowell plays the character she is in every movie. The semi-cold distracted career woman who just wants to be swept off her feet. Andy plays Jerry the ticket scalper. The plot really revolves around the Pope coming to town and Jerrys efforts to get tickets. There is a new scalper in town who, with all of his contacts and payoffs, threatens to muscle out Jerry. In a good performance by Jerry's sidekick, the has-been boxer, he relates the link between Jerry and Andie McDowell. Andie's character and Jerry are both afraid that Jerry will end up like him. This is a typical bubble gum romance between a woman who is worried about her future with a man who only sees today.

I saw this film at the Idyllwild Film Festival when it was entitled "The Scalper." I did not consider it a romantic comedy all the way through as the later trailers certainly depicted it under its new name, "Just The Ticket." Some of the panning reviews this film received may have been due to expectations that it would be a romantic comedy start to finish. Well, I just didn't see it that way.

Although there are romantic moments and comedic moments in most films, I saw this film more as a serious portrayal of a likeable small time crook in New York City making his precarious living as a ticket scalper with absolutely no identification at all. I think Garcia and McDowell were perfectly cast, with Garcia exhibiting soft, serious moments as a dramatic actor as well as subtle, comedic moments when the film eventually climaxed as the romantic comedy of its ultimate billing.

Richard Bradford was surprising and amazing as "Benny," Garcia's father figure--a wonderful, gripping portrayal of a past-it former jock whose rejection by Garcia results in a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching scene.

Laura Harris was riveting as "Cyclops," Garcia's long-time druggie friend. Her serious and consuming portrayal allowed Garcia's soft, dramatic side to shine. At the film festival, the sad belief was that her entire role would have to be eliminated due to time contraints. Gratefully, that did not happen.

Now I realize that I want to own this film. I wish I could purchase it under its original name.

I had to push the eject about 2/3 way thru. An ugly persona playing a no body in a who cares plot about trying to scalp tickets for the Pope's visit to NYC. If it wasn't for the girlfriend who dumped him - there'd be no one to watch at all. It's not funny. It's not romantic. It's just a waste of money and supposedly talanted people. It got 1 star because they don't do minus.

A very beautiful story, characters who make us fond of them and an excellent casting. Andy Garcia is sublime and Andie MacDowell, brilliant. you'll find in it humour and emotion. It makes us spend a great moment. I've bought it and it's worth doing it !

Andy Garcia completely owns the screen in every scene. His performance here is enough for anyone to buy this movie. But, alas, there are problems with his supporting actress Andie Macdowell. The whole movie she looks like a deer caught in high-beam headlights. It is particularly noticeable whenever she "shares" a scene with Mr. Garcia. There is one scene where it's her big moment, her "look at me and see how talented an actress I am" moment, when Andy Garcia completely downplays the scene and through subtlety and nuance buries Mrs. Macdowell and steals the movie from under her. Another scene, a pre-love-making stare-down between the two stars is almost laughable. Andie Macdowell is frozen while Andy Garcia nearly melts the celluloid with his eyes. It's as if Mrs. Macdowell realized at some point that she was just no match for Mr. Garcia, went limp, and planned her follow-up project. She has talent, just not in this movie. Try "Dinner with Friends" to see what she's really capable of. All said, this movie would have been better off without a love-interest sub-plot. The lives of the myriad professional scalpers was more than enough to keep me watching. The seedy underworld they inhabit while just trying to make a living was very interesting. Overall, this was a surprising and mostly rewarding film.

JUST THE TICKET, is definitely not a waste of cash as a movie

rental, although it's debatable whether the audience will enjoy

being taken on the highs and lows that this story tells, of a

ticket scalper (black market ticket reseller.) It does work

well, as a rental.

The story is a homage in part, to the illegal alien population

of the USA that numbers in the 10 to 20 million, who have no ID

papers, having been born outside the country or in

circumstances that didn't allow them to get papers. As such,

they have to hustle in jobs offering little or no job security,

such as reselling services on the streets, in a cat and mouse

game with law enforcement, and this affects their personal

lives, that often are in chaos.

Starring Andy Garcia, who is present in almost every frame of

this film, and bears a tremendous responsibility in carrying the

film's entertainment value, and Andie MacDowell who plays the

undecided girlfriend (but who is not to be underestimated as an

actress) the picture entertains from beginning to end, with some

tasteful music and interesting shots of NYC streets.

It also brings to light some aspects of mid-life crisis that

some humans feel, when they realize they haven't met all their

life dreams, goals and aspirations that they had set for

themselves in a prescribed period of time.

It also tells of the struggle, commercially, that merchants and

hustlers face from new competitors, who on occasion manage to

pay bribes to certain urban police officers to cover their

protection rackets and black market operations to get the upper

hand. A 2.5 for this movie, almost a 3, considering many will

find it too depressing for the theater or to be watched more

than once.