First the good : this is a pleasantly original and mercurial little movie, miles away from your usual formulaic conman thriller or rom-com. There are some good jokes and lines - and yes, even the titles at the beginning are pretty funny. Also welcome is the satirical bite. The story is set in a Great-Britain where the rich and powerful can build (or tear down) anything that strikes their fancy, while average citizens are supposed to live without such self-indulgent luxuries as hospitals, swimming pools or libraries, because who needs mental and physical well-being ?
On second thoughts : perhaps I was wrong in using the words "satirical bite", this is a pretty accurate representation of societal reality - and not only in Great-Britain.
Sadly the movie does not live up to the potential promised by its original premise. It's clever, but not as clever as it thinks it is. A small example : the various swindles perpetrated are not exactly models of criminal cunning and satanic ingenuity. One cannot shake the suspicion that they would have been undone by even a minimum of vigilance and due diligence. The dialogue and narration too are remarkably uneven.
The various actors bravely do their best, but much of their enormous talent goes to waste. With such a stellar cast this could have been a tragicomic masterwork for the ages, but aah... The things that might have been...
On second thoughts : perhaps I was wrong in using the words "satirical bite", this is a pretty accurate representation of societal reality - and not only in Great-Britain.
Sadly the movie does not live up to the potential promised by its original premise. It's clever, but not as clever as it thinks it is. A small example : the various swindles perpetrated are not exactly models of criminal cunning and satanic ingenuity. One cannot shake the suspicion that they would have been undone by even a minimum of vigilance and due diligence. The dialogue and narration too are remarkably uneven.
The various actors bravely do their best, but much of their enormous talent goes to waste. With such a stellar cast this could have been a tragicomic masterwork for the ages, but aah... The things that might have been...