Trapped in Paradise (1994)

Residents of a friendly Pennsylvania town foil three brothers' plan to rob a bank on Christmas Eve.

Director:

George Gallo

Writer:

George Gallo

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Bill Firpo
Jon Lovitz	...	Dave Firpo
Dana Carvey	...	Alvin Firpo
Mädchen Amick	...	Sarah Collins
Florence Stanley	...	Edna 'Ma' Firpo
Donald Moffat	...	Clifford Anderson
Angela Paton	...	Hattie Anderson
Vic Manni	...	Vic Mazzucci
Frank Pesce	...	Caesar Spinoza
John Ashton	...	Ed Dawson
John Bergantine	...	Clovis Minor
Sean McCann	...	Chief Bernie Burnell
Richard Jenkins	...	Agent Shaddus Peyser
Paul Lazar	...	Deputy Timmy Burnell
Sean O'Bryan	...	Dick Anderson

Storyline

Bill Firpo has managed to stay honest, but can't help but be dragged into things by his larcenous brothers, the clever Dave and the kleptomaniac Alvin. When the three find a bank so easy to rob that they can't resist, the only question is whether or not they can get out of town before the big snowstorm hits. While the three brothers run around town with their stolen loot, they are beseiged with the kindness of the townfolk that might just set them on the path of rightousness.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | bank robbery | small town | helicopter | yelling | 

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Taglines:

The story of a town that gave so much... Even these guys couldn't take anymore.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some rude language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atrapados en el paraíso

Filming Locations:

Elora, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$5,777,916 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Permut Presentations, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Jon Lovitz, director George Gallo did not actually direct much and told the cast to do whatever they wanted. According to Lovitz, Nicolas Cage actually directed some of the film because Gallo refused to give direction.

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Goofs

When Bill is waiting in the car and he sees Alvin stealing money out of a stores cash register, a man with dreadlocks is walking left. When Bill runs out of the car, the same man is seen walking left again.

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Quotes

Bill Firpo: In the Firpo family, the man with half a brain is king.

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Connections

References The Flintstones (1960)

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Soundtracks

"Y.M.C.A."
Written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and Victor Willis

User Reviews

Caged

What we have here is an experiment in no writing, no directing, just gathering some actors together and turning them loose. Many of these have been funny in skits, and each was encouraged to develop their own comic persona. But since these are not very clever comics, we have copies of Harpo, Jonathon Winters, Laurel and Hardy, Lucy and so on. There's nothing original or entertaining here except to watch how strong is the magnetism of the past masters.

Watching Cage flounder is also interesting since there are some who celebrate his talent. I'm coming more and more to appreciate how many different types of actors there are and how widely they differ. Cage as a person always sits nervously in his character. This is no problem if he is cast as a person who sits nervously in himself, and of course this is how he is typed. Sometimes it works, for instance with DePalma's experimental `Snake Eyes,' the disembodied EMT of `Bring out the Dead,' and the pretty sensitive `Raising Arizona.' But when it fails, it fails spectacularly with Cage staring goofily as in that lottery movie, or with shouting as here. Spectacular.