Two If by Sea (1996)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Bill Bennett

Writers (WGA):

Denis Leary (story) &
Mike Armstrong (story) ...

Release Date:

12 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A new comedy about love, laughter, and larceny

Plot:

Frank O'Brien, a petty thief, and his 7-year-long girlfriend Roz want to put an end to their unsteady lifestyle and just do that _last_ job...

Plot Keywords:

Painting | Island | Thief | Unwanted Kiss | Train Ride

Cast

Denis Leary	...	Francis 'Frank' O'Brien
Sandra Bullock	...	Roz
Stephen Dillane	...	Evan Marsh
Yaphet Kotto	...	FBI Agent O'Malley
Mike Starr	...	Fitzie
Jonathan Tucker	...	Todd
Wayne Robson	...	Beano Callahan
Michael Badalucco	...	Quinn
Lenny Clarke	...	Kelly
Jonny Fido	...	FBI Agent Burke
Don Gavin	...	Sully
Shaun R. Clarke	...	Sweeney
Markus Parilo	...	FBI Agent Peters
John Friesen	...	Sheriff Herbert Horn
Sean Runnette	...	Marty

Also Known As:

Stolen Hearts

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

Scenes from the The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) appear on the TV in the background when Frank and Roz are in the borrowed mansion. Yaphet Kotto, who plays FBI agent O'Mally in this movie, also appeared in The Thomas Crown Affair; and Denis Leary appeared in the remake, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).

Goofs:

Continuity: Roz hits Frank at the party on the left side of his face, but walking home he's ruefully rubbing the right side of his face.

Quotes:

Todd: Girls like muscles. They like muscles and romantic dinners.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Haunted

Lighthearted entertainment

Maybe there's a reason people who live in provinces are called

provincial. Perhaps they expect a "Citizen Kane" or a "Godfather"

every time they step into a theater. Great movies are few and far

between, and about the best you can usually hope for is a

coherent tale told in an entertaining way.

And that "Two If By Sea" certainly is. I give it 9 out of 10 for its

hilarity, subtle performances, niceness, great scenery, and overall

execution. It's a warm movie filled with lots of really zingy little

funnies. It never strays far from its agreeable theme of true love,

and when it does it takes delightful tangents into: pure slapstick

goofiness, devastatingly piercing pricking of the neuveau riche,

adolescence, and even the plight of the city dweller who thinks

he's "out in the country" (as when a terrified Leary draws a .38 on a

tame deer). You have to admire a director who can take as many

potshots at life as "Airplane!" does, and still stay within the context

of a story as cohesive as this one is.

Actually this is one of Denis Leary's finest hours. He portrays a

guy who gets along in life by being tough and irascible, although at

heart he's hard pressed to cope with the world in general and

completely confused by love. Sure his character comes across as

grating -- it's supposed to. But if you can't see past the facade to

the nice guy underneath, you're not much of a moviegoer.

To his excellent work the director adds Sandra Bullock's character,

who is just enough not satisfied with a simple, linear life to throw

Leary into one tailspin after another. Their chemistry is often

prickly, but always centered around the movie's core theme. And it

takes real talent to portray her part with the touch of frustration she

has, without coming across as a bitch. Bullock impressed me by

achieving just the right tone.

And in the end, what more could you want? The good guys all find

ways to win and the bad guy loses his claim to fame and goes

down in flame, blame and shame. Whoooeee!