Photos courtesy of Netflix
Welcome back to SCAD for winter quarter! This will actually be the final quarter for The Binge Watcher, seeing
Nothing says “heist movie” like a cartoon betraying the plot.
how I’ll officially be a college graduate in March. I figured we could start this bittersweet ending with something of a high note.
EDIT FROM THE WRITER: I woke up this morning to find out that Alan Rickman, the best actor in this film and a major influence on my childhood, has died of cancer at the age of 69. It’s hard to explain how I could be so affected by the passing of a man that I’ve never met, but I know that something in me is refusing to believe that he would ever leave. He’s starred in the majority of my favorite movies: “Dogma,” the “Harry Potter” series, “Sense and Sensibility” and “Galaxy Quest” among others. Alan Rickman is like the uncle I always wanted to have, and was lucky to grow up with even from a distance. I miss you sir, and by Grabthar’s hammer, you shall be avenged.
Ah, the good ol’ heist/caper film. Really there’s hardly nothing that screams classic movie entertainment like well-dressed people stealing things from even better dressed jerks. We all get a little twinge of satisfaction watching someone get completely duped as the underdog walks away a millionaire; the immediate favorite that comes to mind is “The Sting” starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. This is the whiskey of movie genres: smooth, classic and with an appropriate amount of bite. “Gambit” isn’t so much a Maker’s Mark neat, as it is a highball. It has the liquor content required to fit the category, but it’s mostly just fizz with an 18 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At the very least it’s easy to drink.
Micheal Hoffman’s “Gambit” is a complete reboot of the 1966 film starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. This time around Colin Firth stars as Harry Deane, a bumbling art curator who hates his boss, Lionel Shabander (Alan Rickman); a Rupert Murdoch-esque villain. With the help of “The Major” (Tom Courtenay), a very gifted art forger, they scheme to swindle the big man out of a priceless Van Gogh painting that was considered missing after World War II. They enlist PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz), a spirited rodeo belle from Texas, to seduce Shabander into buying the painting. Their plan is flawless, until it all goes to hell.
You can tell that Hoffman really tried to emulate Peter Sellers’s “Pink Panther” type of comedy, and it works until it just starts to be a hassle to watch. As much as I enjoy seeing Firth in an adorable comedic position — i.e. stuck on the ledge of the Savoy without his pants — I stopped feeling sympathetic for him about halfway through. Sure, he’s a sad puppy who only wants revenge on an arguably evil douchebag, but Harry just starts looking pathetic. Sellers at least knew the right time to kill the joke and not let it drag on. Still, he was pretty damn precious.
He is genuinely having a good time and it’s adorable.
The most confusing part about the film was the misplaced chemistry. The formula made me expect Harry and PJ to have the stronger relationship, but the complete opposite happens. Diaz and Rickman, although it’s very clear that they are essentially swindling each other, made the best pair. They worked so well together as a twosome I started hoping that the two would run off together and live in bliss.
Subtext?
As for the relationship between Harry and “The Major”, I just didn’t get it. The two met because of their work and interests, but there is really no motive behind their actions. The Major acts like a more subservient Watson to Harry’s Sherlock by narrating the story from his perspective, driving people around and acting like an artistically gifted butler. His presence isn’t all that necessary, and we don’t see much of him, so why even make them scheme together in the first place? Like the reason for the con, the motive just isn’t there.
Obvious plot falls aside, “Gambit” gave a pretty good laugh. The scenes involving the concierges of the Savoy hotel are especially brilliant. Stanley Tucci’s performance as Harry’s rival is right up there with “Easy A” and “The Devil Wears Prada” for comedic brilliance. My only concern was the portrayal of the Japanese businessmen in a very 
stereotypical — albeit racist — tone. Then it was made clear that they were playing the part to confuse the “arrogant white businessman,” so it saved itself from what could have been something seriously offensive.
“Gambit” is not, by any measure, my favorite heist movie. Does it deserve the 18 percent rating? Definitely not. It’s worth double at the very least. I was frustrated by some of it, but Hoffman managed to distract is with some pretty decent moments of humor. Bravo, sir. Just be sure to tone it down next time.
P.S. If you’re only going to watch this movie for one reason, let it be Cloris Leachman’s disgustingly brilliant performance as PJ’s grandmother. Pictured in her brief cameo below.
