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Matchstick Men

kdk April 28, 2004
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Read Time:1 Minute, 40 Second

After seeing the previews for

Matchstick Men, I expected something of the smooth crime flick genre—with a little

mystery, a little intrigue, and a kid thrown in for fun. I was in for a

surprise…



Nicolas Cage stars as Roy Waller, an obsessive-compulsive conman

who’s successfully running small-time scams with his partner, Frank (Sam Rockwell),

despite his out-of-control nervous ticks and an acute case of agoraphobia. In order to

get a refill on the drugs that keep him (somewhat) together, he finds himself talking to

Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman), a shrink who digs through Roy’s past and helps him find the

daughter he never knew he had.



Fourteen-year-old Angela (Alison Lohman)

swoops down into Roy’s life and turns it upside-down when she decides to crash at his

place for a while—because of a fight with her mother (Roy’s ex). And as Roy and Frank

are planning to pull off a huge con, Angela starts to figure out what it is that her dad

does for a living—and she gets Roy to teach her the tricks of the

trade.



Matchstick Men isn’t a smooth crime flick. It’s actually a

comedy. With a cute story about family relationships. And there’s some crime stuff

thrown in for fun. Although I was actually in the mood for a smooth crime flick (and not

a comedy) when I rented it, I still enjoyed it. And even though there are a few things

that work a little too well, the ending still shocked me.



The

cast, too, is fantastic. Rockwell does a great job as Roy’s protégé. Lohman is actually

pretty believable as a fourteen-year-old (even though she’s a decade older). And Cage is

spectacular in his obviously challenging role—it actually reminded me a bit of his role

in Adaptation.

n


Pick up a copy of Matchstick Men. You might be surprised, but you

won’t be disappointed.

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About Post Author

kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it. Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course. As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com). Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
kdk@nightsandweekends.com
http://www.NightsAndWeekends.com
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kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.

Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.

As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).

Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.

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