Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

An Exercise In Nonsense

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Dr. Willis Embry is a psychologist in New Jersey prison. His girlfriend just left him and he's not having a lot of success with the group of prisoners that includes Marvin, Lyle and Marty.So when Trick Bissell, dying of cancer, confides in Embry about where his millions in stolen money is buried, Embry wants to take advantage. Of course, Lyle was in the next cell and got all the information ... well, almost all. He knows which Chicago suburb and the name of the street, but the house number is a little off.The actual location of the money is the house of Albert and Jessie Lodge, who are going through a violent divorce. Jessie wants to sell the house and split everything with Albert. So there are prospective buyers coming in all through the movie, and what they see isn't always what they should see.Embry sneaks into the house with tools and eventually convinces a reluctant Jessie to let him wreck her basement. Meanwhile, Lyle's gang terrorizes the Rutledges next door as they too turn that house into a disaster area. And the nosey neighbors Lydia and Jeffrey, and obnoxious teenager Swan, make trouble for everyone as well. And poor Lyle, though the toughest acting of the bunch, gets bossed around and ends up doing all the hard jobs.It's not exactly "Ocean's Eleven" because the crooks are all bumbling idiots, but it's a fun movie and quite funny at times.Hector Elizondo and Heidi Zeigler have some of the standout moments.Apparently some language had to be cleaned up for TV, but the V-chip rating when I saw it was a plain-vanilla TV-PG. It's almost a family-friendly film in the version I saw. Almost. There's some violence but it's mostly of the slapstick variety.

The thing that stood out in my mind, is the pool scene between Marty and the new buyer of the house. Marty was in therapy, groping the wife's leg, only to find she is in therapy too, asks if it hurts, then she returns the favor. ;) How dumb was the husband? HA HA. Then 'hubby breaks the pool' like it was hubby's fault. ;) The struggling of Mary Gross's character (of the attention she was getting) as she fell for Marty's ploy and her groping his thigh, wish I find a woman like that. It was my favorite classic scene of the whole movie. This movie did help Catherine O'Hara in being picked for the "Home Alone" movies. Jeff Daniels character proved himself in love for a woman to be betrayed by his girlfriend, only to be with Ms. O'Hara. :) Good love ending. P.D. or Penelopy Diane sweet blond wife wanting a man with money vs good girl Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels wanting happiness with or without the money. (Which proves love wins out over ill gotten wealth.) I think I want to be a real estate agent! ha ha. :)

maybe I don't have good taste in movies, but lately everything everyone else hasn't liked I have thoroughly enjoyed, this movie included. I think that people have forgotten that movies are meant as entertainment regardless of whether or not their IBM laptop is compatible with the Alien's mother ship or if the scriptwriter is trying to make a social statement.Maybe once in awhile, forget about how you're supposed to feel and just sit back and enjoy the show.

This movie is one of a kind. It was portrayed by funny man Jeff Daniels and also great actress Catherine O'hara. With a funny surprise ending it will keep you guessing. AT the end you'll say "That was a funny good movie"