Steal Big Steal Little (1995)

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Davis (story) &
Teresa Tucker-Davies (story) ...

Release Date:

29 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Two brothers. One fortune. Zero chance they'll share it.

Plot:

Ruben and Robby are twin brothers, adopted by Mona, one of the wealthiest - and most eccentric - women in Santa Barbara...

Plot Keywords:

Twin Brother

Cast

Andy Garcia	...	Ruben Partida Martinez / Robert Martin / Narrator
Alan Arkin	...	Lou Perilli, Ruben's Partner
Rachel Ticotin	...	Laura Martinez
Joe Pantoliano	...	Eddie Agopian, Ruben's Lawyer
Holland Taylor	...	Mona Rowland-Downey
Ally Walker	...	Bonnie Martin
David Ogden Stiers	...	Judge Winton Myers
Charles Rocket	...	Sheriff Otis
Richard Bradford	...	Nick Zingaro, Hood From Chicago
Kevin McCarthy	...	Reed Tyler
Nathan Davis	...	Harry Lordly, Attorney of Record for Bonnie Martin
Dominik García-Lorido	...	Maria Martinez (as Dominik Garcia-Lorido)
Mike Nussbaum	...	Sam Barlow, Clifford Downey's Attorney
Rita Taggart	...	Autumn McBride, Banker
Takaaki Ishibashi	...	Yoshi Takamura

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a scene of marijuana use.

Runtime:

UK:113 min | USA:135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Santa Barbara, California, USA

Company:

Chicago Pacific Entertainment

Trivia:

This was the last film to actually be released and distributed by the now defunct, Savoy Pictures. This movie was also one of the studio's costliest flops in terms of the film's budget in which studio insiders had stated that it was approximately between 35 and 50 million dollars.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Eddie Agopian escapes from Ruben, Lou and Nick the hit man, he leaps out of the window, dives into a fountain and swims to the side. Moments later, when he is seen running from Ruben, Lou and Nick, he and his clothes are bone dry.

Quotes:

Bonnie Martin: I am broke. We don't even have any money for food. Tell your father what you had to eat last night.
Bonnie's children: Nothing.
Bonnie Martin: Hear that? Nothing!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Showbiz Today: (1995-05-02)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Velvet Moon

Location, location, location

(This is an edited/revised post):

This film deeply affected me in two ways, which I will present in reverse chronological order:

2) The movie was shot largely on location, in and around my hometown of Santa Barbara. When I saw it in 1996, I was nine years removed from home and doing radio in Missouri. It was good to see home again.

1) However, I had the opportunity to go home in early 1995 when this was being shot. To his security team's utter horror, I attempted to park near the SB County Courthouse, somewhere dangerously close to (read: half a block away from) Andy Garcia's trailer. After several contentious profanities were hurled at me I moved the car, during which time I uttered a wish out loud that the film would turn out to be an utterly unwatchable piece of crap, and would completely tank at the box office.

Moral of the story? Don't go on location and then let your people treat a local like something stuck to your shoe -- he just might have unknown powers in putting curses.

To the film's credit, they did have the good taste to shoot at Papagallo's on De La Guerra Plaza (try the ceviche), and it also showed the annual Summer Solstice Parade in a pretty good light.

EDIT: Since I wrote most of the above, I've had occasion to revisit this movie (there was nothing better on HBO that night), and I've reluctantly come to the conclusion it really is funny. Mostly due to the performances of Alan Arkin and Joe ("Joey Pants") Pantoliano.

Okay, so I ran afoul of Andy Garcia's people during the shoot and they honked me off. And then my first viewing of the film left me cold. I've since warmed up to it (and removed my negative comments in this edit). Take that for what it's worth -- and I hope it's worth something, because I'm not a big fan of eating crow in public.