Simpatico (1999)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Matthew Warchus

Writers:

Sam Shepard (play)
Matthew Warchus (writer) ...

Release Date:

4 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

How much can three friends share?

Plot:

As youths in Azusa, Vinnie, Carter, and Rosie pull off a racing scam, substituting winners for plodders and winning big bucks on long odds...

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Kentucky | Scam | Photograph | Number 5

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Vincent Webb
Jeff Bridges	...	Lyle Carter
Sharon Stone	...	Rosie Carter
Catherine Keener	...	Cecilia
Albert Finney	...	Simms / Ryan Ames
Shawn Hatosy	...	Young Vinnie Webb
Kimberly Williams-Paisley	...	Young Rosie (as Kimberly Williams)
Liam Waite	...	Young Lyle Carter
Whit Crawford	...	Jean
Bob Harter	...	Louis
Angus T. Jones	...	5-Year-Old Kid
Ken Strunk	...	Charlie
Ashley Gutherie	...	Kelly
Maria Carretero	...	Airport Attendant
Nicole Forester	...	Flight Attendant

Also Known As:

Simpatico (France)
Sympatico (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality, and for language.

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:101 min (TV version)

Country:

UK | France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Canal+

Soundtrack:

Games People Play

Has a sleek poise and a nose for the finish line

Tale of long-past racing scam resurfacing to change the diverse lives of its perpetrators and victims isn't particularly subtle, with transformations and transferences flying around like abandoned betting slips, but it's very well acted by a dream cast (no less engaging for the fact that they don't all seem to be in quite the same film) and never loses its basic finesse. In its early stretches, as the pieces of the plot fall into place, the film builds a highly effective sense of escalating jeopardy, and the initial gambits on the theme of identity and impermanence are effective, leveling out a bit as thematic considerations seem to overtake the characters. Still, it has a sleek poise, and debuting director Warchus shows a distinct nose for the finish line - the film's closing scenes seem about right on their own terms, even if you're not sure about all the stuff that led you there (the horse Simpatico for instance seems ultimately to be carrying more symbolic weight than the course of the film supports).