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WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD Send This Review to a Friend
There should be a cease and desist on efforts to remake Mario Monicelli's Italian "Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), among the funniest of comedies. Its assembly of misfits trying to pull off a robbery that ends in hilarious disaster starred Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Salvatori, Toto and the delightful Claudia Cardinale, plus a supporting cast that made you laugh just by the sight of their faces. Director Louis Malle tried his hand with the remake "Crackers" (1984), setting the action in San Francisco, but that was easily forgotten.
Now comes "Welcome to Collinwood," showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival 2002 prior to its commercial release and co-written and co-directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who set the action in a Cleveland neighborhood. Their version, co-produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, is based once again on "I Soliti Ignoti," the Italian title of "Big Deal on Madonna Street." While there are some very funny moments, as a whole the film just isn't funny enough. It plods forward but fails to sustain sufficient comic intensity to justify another go at the familiar material.
The plan for the big break-in is launched by Cosimo (Luis Guzmán), who has learned of the potential job from a lifer in prison, and first has to figure a way to get out of prison himself by finding a patsy to become a substitute, known in the jargon as a "Mullinski." The slang for the job itself, one that hits the jackpot, is a "Bellini." The misfits enlisted by Cosimo are played by Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Isaiah Washington, Andrew Davoli, Michael Jeter (by far the funniest of the lot) and George Clooney, who dispenses safecracking advice. The women in the cast include Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Esposito and Gabrielle Union.
There's no question that you'll find good laughs here and there, especially with Michael Jeter's character, but there is more effort than payoff. Get your hands on a video of "Big Deal on Madonna Street" and you'll have a lot more fun. A Warner Bros. release.
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