The Best Thief in the World (2004)

Director:

Jacob Kornbluth

Writer:

Jacob Kornbluth (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Izzy, the youngest son of a troubled New York family, takes a shine to breaking into people's apartments as a way to get attention.

Plot Keywords:

Mother Son Relationship | House Breaking | New York City | Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mary-Louise Parker	...	Sue Zaidman
Michael Silverman	...	Izzy Zaidman
David Warshofsky	...	Paul Zaidman
Audra McDonald	...	Ruth
Lois Smith	...	Helen
Margo Martindale	...	Miss Mason
Jelani Jeffries	...	Robbie
Chelsea Harkins	...	Amy Zaidman
Jonah Bobo	...	Sam Zaidman
Roberta Wallach	...	Granola Woman
Tom Bloom	...	Dr. Challop
Shortee Red	...	Big Edwin
T.J. Allen	...	Dice
Tanya Clarke	...	Mary
Wade Mylius	...	Harry

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

USA:93 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Process Productions

Quotes:

Sue: What do I know?
Izzy: What do any of us know?
Sue: Exactly, honey. Exactly.

It Takes a Thief

Two years ago at Sundance I loved Josh Kornbluth's directing debut-Haiku Tunnel. So I was looking forward to his brother (and frequent collaborator) Jacob's, The Best Thief in the World. This is a drama about a seemingly good kid growing up in a lower-class area of New York. The movie is not without its poignant moments. But at times it is as if Kornbluth is working way too hard to state the obvious: Life can be very difficult for some people. And life isn't fair.

More subtle, and more important, is our understanding that despite all of these somewhat abhorrent cultural underpinnings and the anti-social behavior they may spawn, these characters have no shortage of goodness and humanity. We can recoil at their language and their living conditions, but we are cannot discount their intent. And in fact, their struggles to maintain a family under such adversity has a certain nobility that most of us can barely appreciate. Kornbluth grew up in this neighborhood, and his compassion for the people is evident throughout.

Having said all this, The Best Thief in the World suffers from many painful flaws (including the title). The characters aren't very believable. The writing is uneven. And the plot-line is barely discernible. And for many the most disturbing is that Kornbluth uses two young black boys mimicking gangsta rap between scenes. To each his own: But while I don't question the potential realism of this phenomenon, it pains me to see 5-year-old children mf'ing and talking about having sex with a line-up of women. It's unnecessary shock value and is a forced bit of borrowed interest.