While this does have some funny moments, all I could think of as I got into it was "why"? Why was the original remade? Why are they so desperate to break into Jack Warden's pawn shop (especially since a couple of them seem to hang out there), and why is Christine Baranski such an obvious nymphomaniac, especially since she seems to be pretty active with boyfriend Donald Sutherland? Why does rocker Sean Penn you seem like such a total geek, and why does his best pal Trinidad Silva become so desperate to keep Penn away from his sister, Tasia Valenza? And last but not least, why does Silva's character never laugh or crack a smile, yet seem so desperate for approval?
There was a lot of potential in this remake, but for some reason, all the ingredients do not come together and this collection of oddballs seems more there to collect their paycheck than to really deliver a good movie. Baranski is quite different in this then pretty much anything else I've seen her in, not as upscale as roles she played from "Reversal of Fortune" on, and she's always fun to watch. Penn is desperately trying to get away from his Spicolli character, but Spicolli had better development than his character does here.
The best moments go to Wallace Shawn, quite subtle as a homeless man who hangs around the pawn shop, seems to know everybody and gets involved in everybody's business. He's always looking for food, and when we see him in his little shack of a shelter seems to be making stew of every type of food he has left.
There are also some cute moments with Larry Riley and the adorable Charlayne Woodard, and when they ain't misbehavin', they're stealing the scenery. Unfortunately, the script and direction by Louis Malle is off kilter here so you really are perplexed by the missing ingredients that could have spiced it up. I give it an average rating (which means it ain't bad), but it's barely above that level and only there because of the cast and the run down area of San Francisco where this takes place where movie cameras rarely go.
There was a lot of potential in this remake, but for some reason, all the ingredients do not come together and this collection of oddballs seems more there to collect their paycheck than to really deliver a good movie. Baranski is quite different in this then pretty much anything else I've seen her in, not as upscale as roles she played from "Reversal of Fortune" on, and she's always fun to watch. Penn is desperately trying to get away from his Spicolli character, but Spicolli had better development than his character does here.
The best moments go to Wallace Shawn, quite subtle as a homeless man who hangs around the pawn shop, seems to know everybody and gets involved in everybody's business. He's always looking for food, and when we see him in his little shack of a shelter seems to be making stew of every type of food he has left.
There are also some cute moments with Larry Riley and the adorable Charlayne Woodard, and when they ain't misbehavin', they're stealing the scenery. Unfortunately, the script and direction by Louis Malle is off kilter here so you really are perplexed by the missing ingredients that could have spiced it up. I give it an average rating (which means it ain't bad), but it's barely above that level and only there because of the cast and the run down area of San Francisco where this takes place where movie cameras rarely go.