The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) User Reviews

Dryly humorous, engaging and well-cast...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 8 April 2006]

Ryan O'Neal gives one of his better, looser performances in this crime-caper, a handsome comedy-drama involving a computer programmer-turned-jewel thief planning a major heist. Warren Oates is the insurance investigator in dogged pursuit, Jacqueline Bisset (at her most lovely) plays a love-interest in on the action, Austin Pendleton is very funny as a nerdy chess pro, and wonderfully blithe Jill Clayburgh makes a big impression in the minor role of O'Neal's ex-wife. Brisk, fairly engaging fluff has tongue wryly in-cheek and is well-directed by Bud Yorkin. This seemed a little flat when it played in theaters, but it works much better on the tube. **1/2 from ****

Pleasant little time waster

[mls4182 · 6/10 · 10 December 2021]

There are some humorous scenes, some suspense, some great Houston locations, some really bad 1970s clothes and some interesting architecture,

This film relies mostly on the attractiveness and charm of its leads in their physical prime.

A fun off-beat classic caper.

[chrliebrown54529 · 7/10 · 28 March 2002]

Okay, what do you need to perfect or make a good movie about theivery? A strong plot or a good source to base it on. B.fleshed out and fun characters C.a fun storyline or D.all of the above. If you said all of the above, that's right. These are the central elements that makes "The Thief Who Came to Dinner", worth checking out. Okay, first off this a dated 70's film that will probably turn off most people, but if you don't take it seriously as it tries to be, it's worth it's running time. Ryan O'Neal stars as Webster McGee, a computer programmer who one day ups and quits his somewhat cushy job and becomes a burglar. McGee is a very cocky, fun-loving guy, who you wouldn't suspect as being someone who'd break into your home and steal things. That he does it with such precision, so much so that he has an investigator played by the late Warren Oates hot on his trail. While playing mind games with Oates, he falls in love with Laura (Jacqueline Bisset), who knows what he does and accepts him for it, which goes unexplained in the movie. Director Bud Yorkin does a very good job here directing from Walter Hill's adapted screenplay. But it if was tighter paced, it would've been a lot more fun. There are times where the film lags and it really feels as it's missing something. There are alot of nice and breezy sequences prefectly shot by Director of Photograph Phillip Lanthrop. Henry Mancini's score is absolutely fabulous and arguably one of his more underrated gems. A little more energy would've gone a long way with this one. On the whole, I'd recommend it for it's performances and definetly rooting for the Chess Burglar.

This Is A Good Movie

[jeffmclachlan2000 · 13 April 2010]

Look, this is 2010 or later. You've checked out Serpico, Mean Streets, The Godfather---all the obvious choices. But I just watched The Thief Who Came to Dinner last night, and it made me realize that there's probably a lot I've been missing. A lot of terrific movies that were maybe ignored or under-estimated when they first came out (for some reason or another) that are actually pretty great.

Let me put it to you this way. if you're a guy (or a gal) with a sort of boring job, who's occasionally fantasized about chucking it all and just becoming a professional jewel thief---this is the movie you want to live in. Ryan O'Neal is handsome and charming, Jacqueline Bisset is beautiful, and Warren Oates is very Warren Oates-y. The story(by Walter hill, based on a novel) works, and you won't be left hanging by some typical early 70's drag ending (thank God)---I don't know what else to say. The Thief Who came to Dinner is a really good time. It should have made $100 million dollars in 1973. It's a tragedy (possible slight overstatement) that it didn't.

This film is a bit offbeat, but I enjoyed it...

[dexter-3 · 7/10 · 23 March 1999]

I've seen this film twice, and I like it quite a bit. It's possibly the best performance O'Neal has given, Oates does a nice turn, and it has Jackie Bisset. The plot is okay, but the performances really give this film its punch. "Thief..." may not be for everyone, but it's worth a shot. The film may seem a bit dated and slow, so viewer beware.

jewelry heist

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

Ryan o'neal is Webster, working as a computer guy in houston. Fed up after a divorce, he quits his job. And cases houses in the nicer part of town. But aside from a few nice trinkets, what Webster really wants is access to his mark's clients. And his girlfriend (Jacqueline Bisset). Co-stars ned beatty (hopscotch), trying to do a terrible, southern accent. Also austin pendleton (whats up doc), and greg sierra (barney miller). Warren oates is Reilly, the insurance guy, investigating the stolen jewelry. He proposes a chess game between a nervous chess expert and the thief. There's a sense of cat and mouse, as Webster and Reilly toy with each other; Webster dares Reilly to arrest him, but Reilly needs the evidence to do it. He even tries to get info out of Webster's ex wife, played by Jill Clayburgh. Produced by Yorkin and Lear, who had also made about half the tv series on television. Directed by Yorkin. O'neal had just done Love Story and What's up Doc. Novel by Terrence Smith. It's good. It's a bit drawn out, but well done. A fun caper.

Left Me Empty

[boblipton · 6/10 · 30 July 2023]

Ryan O'Neal quits his job as a computer programmer to become a jewel thief. He moves into Jacqueline Bisset's house,gets into a chess match with Austin Pendleton, and plays a cat-and-mouse game with insurance investigator Warren Oates, who is convinced he is the 'Chess Thief', but has no evidence.

It's one of those movies in which beautiful people do major crimes with a side of anomie and pointlessness of modern straight society. Part of the way this is shown in the movie is that Miss Bisset's house is huge and luxurious, but because it is inherited and everything is still in probate, there is no furniture. O'Neal feels a sense of relationship with her and Oates, but there's no sense of it being returned.

Unfortunately, that sense of emptiness and pointlessness extends to the movie itself, leaving it dull, with no real emotional story behind it, just a series of anecdotes. With Jill Clayburgh, Ned Beatty, Gregory Sierra, and John Hillerman. Walter Hill wrote the script, and Henry Mancini the music. Frank Marshall was the location manager.

more

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 29 June 2021]

By day, Webster McGee (Ryan O'Neal) is a risk-adverse computer programmer. By night, he's meticulously researching to do a robbery. He gets Deams (Ned Beatty) as his fence. After a job, Dave Reilly (Warren Oates) investigates the home robbery of the district attorney. Using stolen incriminating evidence, Webster blackmails the DA not for money but an invitation into his high society circle. He's introduced to Laura Keaton (Jacqueline Bisset).

I kept thinking that this movie wants Webster to be Steve McQueen. Sure, he's a computer geek but he's set up as this cool loner secret criminal. I don't think Ryan O'Neal pulls it off. It also happens with his chemistry with Bisset. They have a certain level. It's a healthy level but it's not a volcanic level. It's all a little less than optimal but it's good enough. I want more impact.

The thief stole the script

[jrs-8 · 5/10 · 20 July 2002]

"The Thief Who Came to Dinner" is a missed opportunity. It's a comedy that isn't very funny and part suspense/mystery that has neither.

Ryan O'Neal plays a jewel thief who falls for (and who wouldn't?) Jacqueline Bisset. Meanwhile insurance investigator Warren Oates is hot on O'Neal's trail.

It's a slight film with a few chuckles but nothing else. The film came and went quickly in 1972. It's easy to see why. None of the actors are given much of anything to do outside of O'Neal and his character is not interesting enough to sustain a whole movie.

/* A 6.5 rating */ - a pleasant and light time passer.

[Brother_Maynards_Brother · 6/10 · 27 August 2023]

Just ran across this flick on TCM. Checked out the cast and some reviews via the IMBD app and then decided to give 'er a try.

The flick is a pleasant, light and somewhat charming cat and mouse burglar endeavor. It feels quite akin to a 70's "Mystery of the Week" made for TV movie by ABC/CBS/NBC. This feeling is cemented by the best aspect of the movie; the outstanding Henry Mancini soundtrack. Henry's work on this movie is quintessential 70's - a totally groovy melange of horns, quasi-mysterious keyboards and high in the mix bass guitar. It's spot-on.

The cast is surprisingly strong. Ryan O'Neal was in the middle of his 1970 to 1975 hot, hot, hot streak. Warren Oates was in the apex period of his strong but sadly truncated career. A good number of other classic character actors appear (including the dude that played "Julio" on "Sanford & Son" and the always reliable Ned Beatty). Jacqueline Bisset's comely presence is always welcome.

The movie is not in the slightest a gritty and dark crime offering. Instead, it is akin to a light and pleasant dessert. Could it have been better? Most certainly. Is it worth your attention if you're looking for time to kill? Definitely --> groove to the Mancini tunes.

Perfect for the ABC Friday Night Movie

[inspectors71 · 5/10 · 4 May 2016]

I have pleasant memories of watching this TV-ish little crime drama way back when. Other than a word or two, maybe a drop of blood or flash of bed, The Thief Who Came to Dinner came to the small screen and snuggled right in.

I've seen the movie twice, once on broadcast TV and one more time as a rental, back when most people had to rent the VCR along with the movies. What stands out is my memory of the late, great Warren Oates as an insurance investigator tracking Ryan O'Neal, an urbane computer programmer who goes rogue, burgling some sort of sparkly valuables. Jacqueline Bisset is on hand to walk around in nice outfits and be teddibly urbane herself.

But, on a whole, with the harried Oates getting closer and closer to nabbing O'Neal, it's a pleasant flick. I think I liked the type of stay-at-home-and-watch-a-fun-movie movie that TTWCTD is. Kind of like The Hot Rock, a contemporary of the time.

One more thing about Bisset. I recently stated that she would have to be really off her game to not screw up a movie. Roger Ebert said that, in Bullitt, whenever she appeared it took five minutes for the movie to recover. I'm wondering if there was a direct correlation between her being anything like naked in a movie and her being just awful. In Bullitt, she has sex with Steve McQueen (bare shoulders and asleep) and she sucks. In The Sweet Ride, her breasts are on display (but about a thousand yards out), and she sucketh verily. The Deep? No acting talent visible, but through that wet tee, yikes!

You get my point. The boobs come anywhere near the surface and the deleterious effects on the movie are in full view.

I'm tempted to lop out the last couple of paragraphs because it just feels like a cheap shot against what could possibly be a very nice person in real life.

Naw. I tried nice. I didn't like it.

Besides, there have got to be some more movies with her that her chest is on display. Did she suck pond water in those, too? Wouldn't that be an interesting research paper for a film class?

Clever and seductive

[oh madeline · 10/10 · 19 March 2001]

Ryan O'Neal was so clever and seductive in this movie, I wanted to go to bet with him too. The focal point of the movie is the fascinating love story -- not between O'Neal and Bisset or between O'Neal and Jill Clayburgh -- both of which were quite entertaining, but the cerebral symbiotic linkage between Warren Oates and O'Neal. This has to be Oates' best performance of all time. Young Ned Beatty and Charles Cioffi are very good --leading a quite capable supporting cast. Very enjoyable movie.

The Oates/O'Neal relationship is the strength of this film

[Marco_Trevisiol · 8/10 · 15 September 2006]

Considering that its been close to forgotten, TTWCTD was a pleasant and substantial surprise when I watched it a few years ago.

This is far from a perfect film as it has several flaws. While the caper scenes involving central character Webster McGee's (Ryan O'Neal) are entertaining enough they're hardly groundbreaking and have been done better in other films. And as another reviewer said, the film probably could've done without the segment involving the arrogant chess expert Zukovsky (played by Austin Pendelton). While not without humour, in the context of the rest of the film it's played too broadly by Pendelton and doesn't really fit in.

But there is much of interest in this film that make it well worth catching up with. The central romance between O'Neal and wealthy socialite Jackie (who gives him his chance to move into the upper echelons of society) played by Jacqueline Bisset isn't really that convincing, perhaps deliberately so. McGee's attraction to the vacuous and cold Laura only makes sense in the context of Jill Clayburgh's performance as McGee's ex-wife Jackie. In her brief on-screen time, Jackie comes across as a far more likable persona then the cold and chilly Laura (doubtless this is also because Bisset has always come across as a cold and unlikable personality for mine). But we can see in Jackie's one scene with Webster that she has tics and neuroses that remind Webster of his past and he has moved on with someone far more frivolous and insubstantial.

But the really fascinating part of the film is the relationship between McGee and the insurance investigator Dave Riley. If this film were made today, Riley would most likely be portrayed as a harried, bumbling 'loser' with McGee (and the filmmakers) regularly mocking his failure to catch him at every turn.

But TTWCTD does something highly unusual and daring. It has McGee display immense sympathy and empathy for Riley even as he's doing his best to catch him. Why? Because he knows that he was just like him previously - someone stuck in a dead-end job trying to do their best but feeling immensely dissatisfied about their life and feeling helpless to do anything about it.

It's this relationship which is the real strength of the film, helped especially by Oates' marvellous performance as Riley and helps it stay in the memory long after one has finished watching it.

And while it has its detractors, I also found Henry Mancini's music score very pleasing on the ear.

Nihilistic antihero sets table for clever and sophisticated caper movie

[herbqedi · 10/10 · 20 January 2003]

Webster McGee (superbly realized by Ryan O'Neal) is bored into stupor by his career and life, so much so that his wife (Jill Clayburgh, sparkling in a minor but memorable appearance) left him, and he has come to agree with her for doing so. He also has decided that what all work, all financial endeavors, and all life comes down to is -- thievery. He decides to be true to himself and his newfound convictions and to become "an honest thief." To set his plan into action, he must find and control an unwilling accomplice (terrific performance by Charles Cioffi), and find two cohorts to dispose of the merchandise (hilariously sanctimonious Ned Beatty and street-not-so-wise Gregory Sierra) for profit. That's the premise, and Yorkin adds some incongruous bits along the way for spice and fun. He seduces and is seduced by Jacqueline Bisset, and meets a man who is almost his match in insurance investigator Dave Riley (Warren Oates -- a multifaceted and brilliant performance).

Austin Pendelton has an off-the-wall role for comic relief that's perhaps a bit too silly for the otherwise sophisticated quasi-European anti-establishment satirical tone taken by the rest of the movie's tone. But, you have to allow Bud Yorkin one of these, don't you? There's also a fun car chase (sequence perhaps directed by co-writer and later action-director Walter Hill??), and one more ironic twist. The second half of the movie is dominated by the engaging cat-and-mouse game between McGee and Riley.

I have now watched this movie three times and find it more enjoyable each time. The imagery in the first-third slows the pace a bit, but stick with it, and I think you will be well rewarded.

A Movie with Style and Great Henry Mancini Music

[thomasdosborneii · 10/10 · 10 June 2006]

For some reason, I very much love "heist" movies, perhaps because I would never steal anything in my life and I guess opposites attract. While I don't quite like this one as well as I love the Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway "Thomas Crown Affair," another heist movie with great style from the 70s, the marvelous Henry Mancini soundtrack and the involvement of Ryan O'Neil, Jacqueline Bisset, and Warren Oates make this one a winner in my view. All those reviewers who declared the movie "dated" or "slow" are revealing their MTV-generation mind-rot, where if each frame doesn't flicker by in a quarter second or if the film isn't loaded with computer graphics or special effects, they get bored, because I really don't know what they are talking about--the movie moves along just fine for an adult. It seems that most of the action in the movie, and particularly each robbery, is practically a dance which is fluidly paired with the Mancini music. This is set up almost at the very beginning when the thief is perfecting his lock-picking, safe-cracking, and breaking-and-entering techniques, and it never lets up from there. I suppose, though, that if you don't like Henry Mancini, this movie is not for you.

O'Neal demonstrates here his skills for comedy that he had put to even better use in the absolutely hilarious "What's Up Doc" with Barbra Streisand and Madeline Kahn (possibly the funniest movie ever made), also sharing with this movie cast members Austin Pendleton and Michael Murphy. Whereas O'Neal succeeds here with his charm and definite good looks, and he is clearly a good match for the beautiful, somewhat rebellious and "alternative" Jaqueline Bisset, the best pairing is probably the "cat and mouse" interaction with insurance investigator Warren Oates. This, too, is psychologically another example of "opposites attract," as despite being on nearly opposite poles, the two form a kind of mutual bond. Like prison guard and prisoner, they exist in the same realm of life, I guess.

I also enjoyed O'Neal's two partners in crime, the nervous-but-excited fence played by Ned Beatty and his humorous boxer sidekick, played by Gregory Sierra.

It was fun to see the early mainframe computer technology shown in the film (current at the time the film was made), which is what computers WERE when I started my adult working life (and which it seems they are going back to with all the servers and workstations, now). And I appreciated seeing the Houston setting, not often shown in films. As America's oil capital, Houston's prosperity rises and falls with the energy cycles and probably at the time the film was made, Houston was at one of its prosperity peaks. The beautiful mansions of the Texan oil rich (who aren't at all shy about spending their wealth on jewelry, art, and other luxury goods) quite reasonably make an attractive target for a thief.

Thanks to video, I've been able to watch this movie many, many times, much in the same way that I might watch a music video--for the interaction of music and action, although in a more languid and less frenetic way. Not slow, not dated, but very much fun and quite beautiful and enjoyable.

The Thief and Movie with Intelligence and Chess

[classicalsteve · 9/10 · 23 August 2007]

Ryan O'Neil is one of those actors who, given the right part, can hit it out of the ballpark. Like his con artist character in "Paper Moon", the thief is outwardly a comely young man, a charmer, even a gentleman. That's what thieves are supposed to be. They don't kill people, or use violence (at least these types of thieves never do in the movies!). They have wit, humor, and even a little humility, which is what makes their underlying darker side so much more terrifying, enigmatic, and also intriguing. These thieves don't hold up the corner liquor shops in the seedy side of Brooklyn or ransack cheap apartments in New Jersey. They procure their desired objects from jewelry shops in the upper-crust of downtown Manhattan or the large brick houses of the Brookline area of Boston. This is the only kind of thief O'Neal could swing at with a chance of hitting a homer, and he does.

Webster (O'Neal) is nicknamed "the Chess Burglar" as he begins playing a hypothetical chess game with the police, leaving a chess piece and a move with every robbery. He mainly heists jewels from people who don't really need them, like a modern-day Robin Hood. He does his game, both the robbing and the chess, with deft finesse and surgical precision. The police, unable to figure out who their thief really is, at one point hire a professional chess master to oppose the nameless thief-artist to try and create a profile of him based on his moves. At one point, even the chess master comes to his wits end trying to deal with the chess burglar. You may find that a chess master and cunning thief have more in common than you might have expected...

This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie and certainly one of O'Neal's best performances. (I always thought O'Neal would have been perfect as "The Great Gatsby".) This movie deserves DVD treatment, considering many god-awful Hollywood offerings have been released from this era. (I mean, are there people who would actually buy a copy of Airport 1975 or "The Towering Inferno"?) This is a highly intelligent and yet simultaneously quite entertaining film that does exactly what it wants to do, with enough twists and turns that do not foreshadow a very interesting and unexpected ending. And the script was by Walter Hill who made a career of raising lowlifes to the big screen. Please vote for this movie for DVD release.

Slight and forgettable

[Wizard-8 · 9 September 2015]

Although "The Thief Who Came to Dinner" has been branded a comedy, it really isn't - it's more of a drama with some lighter moments. The lighter moments, incidentally, aren't really all that amusing, possibly because they try to be extremely realistic at the same time instead of doing something absurd or satirical. The movie isn't that much more successful in the drama portion. There are some interesting ideas floated around, like the fact that the title character has an interest in being in high society, but these ideas don't really get worked on that much. The performances are okay; Ryan O'Neal does make his thief character somewhat likable (until the climatic museum heist, where he hurts people), and Warren Oates gives another solid performance, though he isn't give that much of substance to do. In the end, the movie is pretty forgettable, so much so that this die hard movie buff hadn't even heard of this movie until it appeared recently on Turner Classic Movie's schedule.

Dated but a really good movie.

[map-4 · 10/10 · 19 February 2000]

I saw this movie just last night on the late show (Feb.,00). O'neal did a great job. I never really thought of him as a physical actor, but he did a stellar job. The plot is good and I think it is the earliest performance by Austin Pendelton. I know, it's the earliest for me. I recommend this movie for everyone. Just good clean entertainment.

A movie in search of a director

[nk_gillen · 29 January 2004]

Ryan O'Neal's performance in "The Thief Who Came to Dinner" (1973) reflects mature professionalism. The story is agreeable enough: Computer programmer Mr. Straight abruptly quits his job to become a jewel-thief.

Walter Hill authored this script before beginning his directorial career. Here, his work takes on a more ironic tone than the stone-cold nature of his other accomplishments ("The Driver," "The Warriors," the screenplay for Peckinpah's "The Getaway"). But when Hill works tongue-in-cheek, as in parts of "The Long Riders" and all of "48 Hours," the results can be crafty and diverting. Here, the jokes don't always work, but one can still appreciate the intelligence behind them.

"Thief" was directed by Bud Yorkin, known primarily for his association with TV producer Norman Lear ("All In The Family"). As a moviemaker, Yorkin falls down on the job. He has a pedestrian talent for setting up visual gags, but there's no payoff. Where the film calls for laughter, there's only a chuckle. Not that "Thief" needed a comic genius behind the camera, but this movie should have been a whole lot better.

This is a seriously underrated film

[blueangel-76133 · 9/10 · 11 October 2019]

Everything about this film--great performances, intelligent, sophisticated script, taut, well paced direction, and an awesome 70s jazz rock soundtrack that really sets the mysterious, suspenseful mood--works in a well put together whole with a wonderfully insightful, humanistic ending. This isn't a typical good guy "going bad" scenario as O'Neil's character remains thoughtful, intelligent and even relatively moral in stealing only from the rich and corrupt (Charles Coffi's character in particular) who deserve and can afford it. The scene where he introduces himself to Coffi, whom he's just robbed ("I've recently come into a lot of money, Gene, and some of it is yours"), is wonderfully sly and entertaining. This is echoed by one of the central relationships of the film between O'Neil's thief and the insurance adjuster played by one of the best character actors of all time, Warren Oates. The fact that they clearly grow to like and even respect each other very much, and that it is Oates' own company who eventually abandons him, suggests the question of which side is truly the right, or moral one: the decent, humane man who would never hurt anyone but is a thief, or the greedy, inhumane corporations who use employees and throw them away when no longer useful? It reminds me a lot of "Three Days of The Condor" wherein Robert Redford's honest, peaceful character is literally hunted by a corrupt CIA only wishing to throw away its dirty laundry. The final scene when Oates' character catches O'Neil's character in the act but lets him go is wonderfully played and shows this film's take on that question. This is an eminently enjoyable, attractive film well worth the effort to find it, and the time to view it.

Great performances by O'Neal and Oates

[dphelan-1 · 28 May 2007]

I have loved this movies for years and wish it were on DVD. Ryan O'Neal gives his career best performance as the amateur thief who decides that this way of life is more exciting than what he did before. The Houston location is interesting and the capers themselves are hair-raising. The addition of the chess motif and the relationship between Warren Oates and O'Neal was almost touching. The ending makes you see how much the O'Neal character liked the detective played by Oates.The film also contains one of my favorite lines of dialog as well. When Bissett asks O'Neal what it is like to rob a house, he answers :" It's like a heart attack with a lot of fear thrown in"

"They" don't want "us" to see this

[petersulc · 10/10 · 20 September 2018]

Powerful people don't want us to see this. Only available on vhs. It's obvious why if you can manage to see this wonderful movie which was frequently broadcast on all the major networks when I was growing up. Fabulous soundtrack.

Chess plot was silly

[NCYankee · 14 November 1999]

In 1973, the best chess programs running on the fastest supercomputers could barely play a passable game of chess, much less challenge a master level player such as the Austin Pendleton character would be (newspaper chess columnist for the Houston Chronicle).

liked it lots

[slm1867 · 17 July 2001]

A movie I finally got to see the whole way thru. Warren Oates made this flick. VERY 70s but still lots of fun. Slow and sappy at times but fun to watch to identify all the actors and try to place them in other flicks they've done. Great cast and just plain fun. Did I mention fun?

charming

[Vincentiu · 5 March 2014]

amusing, nice cloth for crazy dreams, fresh and seductive. not a great movie and not part of cinema about thieves elite but very useful for relaxation. because all seems be clever and not very serious. because it is a comedy who use carefully the tension. and Ryan O Neal is really adorable. a film who reminds a lot of others from its period. but who has the science to be original in a nuanced manner. its basic trick - the innocence of a character who discovers in his hobby a form of life exploration. a charming movie. that is all. maybe silly, maybe unrealistic. but useful after a hard work day and as antidote against the blockbusters intoxication.