Gambit (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:

Joel Coen (screenplay), Ethan Coen (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Firth	...	Harry Deane
Tom Courtenay	...	The Major
Alan Rickman	...	Lionel Shabandar
Mike Noble	...	Gunboy
Brodie Ross	...	Shabandar's Shoot Servant
Alex Macqueen	...	Mr. Dunlop
Joe Berryman	...	Gas Station Cashier
Ralph Alderman	...	Rodeo PA Man
Cameron Diaz	...	PJ Puznowski
Terry Dale Parks	...	Cowboy 1 (Merle) (as Terence Parks)
Russ Dillen	...	Cowboy 2
Cloris Leachman	...	Grandma Merle
Sarah Goldberg	...	Executive Wilson
Obi Abili	...	Executive Slazenger
Anna Skellern	...	Fiona (Secretary)

Storyline

Curator Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is an expert in fine art, but he's equally accomplished in taking abuse from his insolent boss Lionel Shabandar (Alan Rickman). 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 rowdy Texas cowgirl P.J. Puznowski (Cameron Diaz) 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:

painting | heist | art forgery | cigar smoking | man wears eyeglasses | 

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Taglines:

Revenge is a work of art.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Mike Lobell spent fourteen years trying to set this up. Alexander Payne and Robert Altman were amongst the directors involved.

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Goofs

The stunt double used for PJ in the calf roping scene is heavier than Cameron Diaz.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Major: [narrating] This is the story of my brave, foolish friend Harry Deane. Mr. Deane's work as a art curator in London had gone, he felt, largely unappreciated. He told me of countless insults suffered at the hands of his employer, Lionel Shabandar, media tycoon, art collector, and an absolute brute of a fellow.
Lionel Shabandar: [covered in mud] Do not touch my person! You, idiot...
Man: Yes, my lord.
Lionel Shabandar: ...give me your boot.
The Major: [narrating] Forty years ago I'd have called this Shabandar a cad. Now the prevailing ...

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over cartoon characters performing odd actions with artwork and elevators.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Sabotaje, Mas allá del Amor, Borgman, La Cueva, El abuelo que saltó por la ventana y se largó (2014)

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Soundtracks

Air On A G String
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by The Classical Jazz Quartet
Licensed courtesy of Proper Records Ltd. (P) recording Arts AG

User Reviews

A relaxing comedy with an excellent cast...

You know that relaxing movie that you wanna play sometimes, but you're ashamed to, you know what I mean... That mix of comedy, somewhat intelligent humor and a good cast to top it all off, but not too romantic, modern or lame... Well, these are the gambits you are looking for (actually gambit, but then I couldn't make that Star Wars reference showing you that, I too, have watched the trilogy at some point (oh wait, is that another remark about Star Wars, now showing that I don't acknowledge the last three parts(oh snap, we got some Inception stuff right here...))). Anywhoo, Gambit is a cleverly written light comedy with an excellent cast, each character seems to be specifically written for that actor, although this movie could have been starring a completely different cast: Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock, and Ben Kingsley.

Lionel Shahbandar, a media mogul and a lord has one more title to his name, a horrible boss. Especially to his curator Harry Deane (Colin Firth, long live the king) who looks after his art collection, a simple fellow with good manners and a big heart, but really depressed because of the fact he has to be humiliated on a daily basis by his pompous boss. Harry and his good friend Major, devise a plan to stick it to the man, well in this case, Lord Shahbandar, magnificently played by the almighty Alan Rickman. This complicated and yet simple scheme involves a third person that could not be farther from the business and art world, miss PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz). PJ is a country girl from Texas, that enjoy cattle rustling and plucking chickens, so a plan that will make her rich very quickly sounds very good to her. But, as in all good plans, things don't go quite well as you would expect them to...

Written by the Coen brothers who brought you many legendary movies, Gambit is good for one watching and perhaps a second, when you accidentally catch it on cable. Still, I liked how the romance was shifted out of the focus, and the clumsiness of our dear fellow Harry brought into the spotlight. In the scenes which take place in a hotel, he reminded me very much of a timeless performance by Peter Sellers in the movie The Party (1968). Other than that, I think that this sums up my thoughts about this movie, enjoy...

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

21 November 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Gambit

Filming Locations:

Heathrow Airport, The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, Greater London, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crime Scene Pictures, ArtPhyl, FilmNation Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1