6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous movie, lots of smart laughs, October 23, 2004
This review is from: Steal Big, Steal Little (DVD)
Wow, the Amazon review is both mean-spirited and dead wrong (as anyone who has seen his brilliant performance in 'When A Man Loves a Woman' knows). I am not what you would call an Andy Garcia "fan" but give the man his due -- this is a very good movie, funny ensemble cast (especially Alan Arkin and Joe Pantoliano), and lovely location. So lighten up.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lemon tree very pretty, and lemon flower very sweet...., June 19, 2005
This review is from: Steal Big, Steal Little (DVD)
As I was browsing through the HBO offerings last Friday night I saw the unusual pairing of Alan Arkin and Andy Garcia. I missed the crucial first fifteen minutes, and was a bit confused, but that's not really a bad thing in this movie. After the plot sort of began to make sense to me, Joey Pants showed up as Ruben's (the good, kind, warm hearted brother) attorney. That clinched it. Even though a new storyline or plot twist was thrown in every few minutes like adding more chilés for salsa, with Andy Garcia, (who is much, much more than a man with a love for hats)* Alan Arkin, Andy Garcia, Joe Pantoliano and David Ogden Stiers, I was laughing (or crying) every moment.
There are definite hold your breath moments about what's going to happen next; and the scenery is pretty darn good, too.
It reminded me at first of a James Cagney movie, 'Never Steal Anything Small', which has a similar title, but other than the leads being lovable and charming, the movies are not really the same.
This is also a long movie, the running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it never dragged, and was never boring. It was kind of like if Billy Jack and Caine from Kung Fu were really identical twins and Billy Jack decided he wanted more money and power and to sell all their land.
As another reviewer said, it is acted lovingly by everyone in the cast, which makes it even more endearing.
It gets a four star from Casablanca, and only misses five because of some of the things at the big party.
Watch it, watch it twice...make some guacamole, buy something good to drink, and just enjoy it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mean Andy, Nice Andy, April 23, 2005
This review is from: Steal Big, Steal Little (DVD)
This is not your typical evil twin movie, although on the surface it might seem so. Twin brothers are raised by a rich woman who adopts them. When she dies, the evil twin wants to make money off the land, while the good twin wants to share the land and all the wealth with everybody. It's not the funniest movie but I did enjoy the lightheartedness of it. The few scenes where the twins are shown together are some of the most convincing digitized twin scenes I've ever seen.
Flaws: It was a little unfocused and longer than it needed to be, but I liked the loving spirit that most of the people in this movie had. And who doesn't love a movie with a happy ending?
From what I've read about Andy Garcia, the good twin is very similar in his generous, caring nature but Andy is probably better in his money management skills. This is not Andy's best work (although his acting was superb) but nonetheless a "must have" in your Andy Garcia collection. Alan Arkin was lovable as the Andy's friend who tries to steer him in the right direction. Rachel Ticotin also does a respectable job as the wife who at first is reluctant to get back together with her husband.
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