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Small time crooksters Nick and Charlie have an elaborate plan to rob an exclusive jewelers store. Using a variety of disguises and posing as rich old men and women they begin the set-up, but then Nick falls for the owner of a neighbouring antique store and things get a little complicated. Written by
Col Needham <col@imdb.com>
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Did You Know?
Connections
Remake of
Happy New Year (1973)
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Soundtracks
"I Only Have Eyes for You"
Written by
Al Dubin and
Harry Warren
Produced by
Bill Conti
Performed by
The Temptations
Courtesy of Motown Record Corporation
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I'm a great fan of the movies of Claude Lelouch, a film maker who believes that a life of random incidents adds up to fate, He is a disciple of Julien Duvivier and his work might be described as part of the magical realism movement. His films are full of odd details -- seemingly odd until you realize they are glimpses into some one else's oddly patterned fate, as if each of us is a single tile in a vast mosaic. The effect is often lushly romantic.
What to make, then, of this American version of his LA BONNE ANNEE? Well, compared to the original, it's cut-down slop, as all the charming details are removed to concentrate on the caper -- everything after is treated as a throwaway. As a remake, it's a bomb.
As a movie on its own, it comes off as an oddly paced caper film with a badly edited love story added on. The caper is very good. The love story is butchered. Peter Falk plays his role with a great deal of charm. The result is something you might stare at for a couple of hours without much pain, but don't waste time looking for it. Watch the Lelouch original.