Gambit (I) (2012)

An art curator decides to seek revenge on his abusive boss by conning him into buying a fake Monet, but his plan requires the help of an eccentric and unpredictable Texas rodeo queen.

Director:

Michael Hoffman

Writers:

Ethan Coen (screenplay), Joel Coen (screenplay)

Stars:

Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci

Cast

Credited cast:
Cameron Diaz	...	PJ Puznowski
Alan Rickman	...	Lionel Shahbandar
Stanley Tucci	...	Martin Zaidenweber
Colin Firth	...	Harry Deane
Cloris Leachman	...	Grandma Merle
Tom Courtenay	...	Major Wingate
Senem Temiz	...	Diner
Anna Skellern	...	Fiona
Togo Igawa	...	Takagawa
Gerard Horan	...	Mr. Knowles
Chillie Mo	...	Chuck Miller
Greg Bennett	...	Masked Ball Guest
Erica LaRose	...	Female Ranch Hand
Sarah Goldberg	...	Executive Wilson
Lorna Brown	...	Couple Wife

Storyline

Curator Harry Deane is an expert in fine art, but he's equally accomplished in taking abuse from his insolent boss. That's about to change. The plan - trick the avid art collector into buying a fake Monet painting. To assist in the heist, Deane hires a rowdy Texas cowgirl to help him fool the richest man in England. But as the plan begins to unravel, Deane finds he is falling in love with the rodeo queen, ensuing further complications.

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Plot Keywords:

heist | remake | caper | animated opening credits

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content, partial nudity and a rude gesture

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2012 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Dől a moné

Filming Locations:

London Heathrow Airport, London Borough of Hillingdon, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crime Scene Pictures, Michael Lobell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock, and Ben Kingsley were originally attached to play Harry Deane, PJ Puznowski and Lord Lionel Shabandar.

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Goofs

In the karaoke scene PJ takes off her hairpin with her right hand while holding the microphone in her left. In the next shot the microphone is in her right hand and the hairpin is in her left.

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Quotes

Lionel Shahbandar: You may not realize it, Miss Puznowski, but Harry Deane knows Monet like I know... actually, I don't know anything quite like that.

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Connections

Remake of Gambit (1966)

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Soundtracks

"Deep in the Heart of Texas"
Performed by Cameron Diaz

User Reviews

Quite good really

I watched this film on release night with my fiancée. We had previously seen a couple of trailers for the film and thought it looked funny and interesting, although on the day I was disturbed to see find such a low rating here on IMDb.

*Disclosure, I am not connected to the film's production or any of the cast, and have no agenda here other than offering an alternative point of view.

The basic plot is already known in advance: that Colin Firth wants to con his evil boss using a beautiful Texan as bait. He travels to meet her accompanied by his friend and co-conman, Major Wingate. After watching her in a rodeo they go to a local bar to make the approach. The Major asks Colin how much is he going to tell her? He answers: "Oh, only enough for her to play her part". And the same is true of the audience. You are only told enough to a) identify with Colin's character and his motivation, and b) follow the plot to come.

We're then treated to a brief 'Ocean's 11-style' précis of how Colin imagines the con will play out from start to finish. Needless to say, no plan ever works out exactly as imagined!

The humour is very dry, never in-your-face, and this isn't the kind of film to hand you gags. Laughing our loud isn't the point. Instead there's a mixture of situational comedy, miss-understanding comedy, wordplay, and great interaction between the characters. Some of the best jokes are the ones where you have to smile ruefully when things go wrong on a bad day. I thought at the time that the screen-writing was a lot like Richard Curtis, and could easily imagine Rowan Atkinson as the lead.

Instead the best joke is Colin Firth himself, playing a little man, in Cameron Diaz's words, instead of a larger-than-life character for a change; playing it straight, rarely smiling because he's not very happy (he wants revenge, remember) and not trying to seduce the very comely Cameron Diaz, who also plays a wickedly funny character without being cast as the comic side-kick.

But, from a critics point of view, I guess, there's not much originality. You can perceive homages to other films; old Ealing- comedies like the Ladykillers, where the subject matter isn't funny but there is some great humour. And I'm not referring to the re-make, which I didn't like.

I'd like to watch this film again at a later time and see if I can. It might grow on me and become a minor classic, or it might drop to mediocre. Either way, if you watch it you have to appreciate it for what it is, rather than what it isn't. And it probably helps if you have a temperament where you can see the funny side in unfunny situations.