Oscar (1991) User Reviews

Stop Panning It! It's actually pretty funny

[spencer10 · 7/10 · 14 November 2007]

Why does everyone think Sylvester Stallone is terrible at comedy? I never saw "Rhinestone" as that is considered one of the worst movies ever made and while I thought "Stop! or my mom will shoot" was illogical and hokey at times it was mostly entertaining. But "Oscar" out of all his attempts at comedy is Sylvester Stallone's best attempt at comedy and it remains a mystery to me why this did so terrible critically and financially. Maybe critics and audiences had trouble accepting Stallone as a gangster doing something different from "Rocky" or "Rambo". I mean yes like "Stop! or my mom will shoot" this one is very illogical and confusing at times. But if you put your full mind into the movie and think about it you will realize it is very funny. While Stallone is terrific I think some of the best scenes in this film belong to Tim Curry. Some of his scenes made me want to laugh out loud! I cannot really summarize the film because many parts are confusing but I can certainly say that critics and audiences need to stop putting it down and give it another try because they don't know what their missing. Sure it's no "Godfather" or "Goodfellas" but it is a very funny little gangster comedy that has the intelligence one misses in comedies. All in all "Oscar" is no masterpiece but it is very funny and enjoyable and that's enough for me to recommend it. It also proves that Sylvester Stallone is not a terrible comedy movie star.

Hidden gem

[KUAlum26 · 8/10 · 4 July 2005]

This 1991 release,featuring Sly Stallone's first all-on comedy role since the legendarily panned "Rhinestone" (Unless you count "Tango and Cash" as a comedy,which to me wouldn't be entirely accurate)is a film that got lost in the shuffle of his large cannon of movies(many of which earned him a reputation for being someone who either chose bad film scripts or actually hurt the material he chose to do). That,to me,seems highly unfair,for this movie is a pleasant treat. A nutty comedy that plays like an English farce.

"Snaps"Provolone(Stallone) promises his dying father that he will quit the gangster business and become legit. On the morning he is to go to work on the board of trustees at a large bank,he is confronted by a number of problems. I won't go into the specifics so as to a)not spoil the plot and b)conserve on writing space,as the movie uses farce devices to full advantage. The principle obstacles include his embezzling accountant(Anthony Spano),his bored and temperamental daughter(Marisa Tomei,pre-"My Cousin Vinny"),his scheming maid(Jocelyn O'Brien),his high-strung wife(Ornella Muti,ravishing),the rival gangsters who are bucking to take over his action,the feds that are watching Snaps' every move and his henchmen(Chazz PAlminteri and Peter Riegert,both fantastic!). Thrown into the mix is a erudite but not-unsympathetic diction instructor(Tim Curry),tailor brothers(MArtin Ferrero and Harry Shearer)who figure prominently in the morning's events somehow,a woman claiming to be his daughter(Elizabeth Barondes)and a new maid(Dallas'Sue Ellen,Linda Gray). Kirk Douglas' cameo as Stallone's dying father was VERY choice as well.

John Landis,an ace in terms of nailing comedy devices,either is a great fit for this adaptation or his direction is able to bring the best out of everyone involved,particularly Stallone,who shows that he CAN put his name behind a watchable,entertaining film that doesn't involve excessive(if any)violence. A great cheap rent!

Very under-rated

[kylemcd77 · 7/10 · 30 December 2003]

I don't know why this movie is rated so low. This is a good old fashioned farce that is done very well and most the actors, especially Chaz Palmenteri (I don't know how to spell that name).

People must have knocked it because they can't accept Stallone in anything other than action films. This is one of the funniest films I have ever seen.

7/10

Perky up-beat comedy that'll make you laugh.

[jack_abberline · 19 October 2002]

Personally, I love this film.

You look past the Syvester Stallone attempt at comedy, you're left with a neat fast paced funny film that'll make you laugh. How many things can go wrong and backfire between 8am and 12noon? Well, there's 3 possible husbands for a pregnant daughter who isn't pregnant. One of whom wants to marry the father's other daughter who isn't his daughter............don't even get me started on the 3 bags of money/jewels/knickers.

I could watch this film over and over again. In fact - I have.

A Day In The Life Of The Provolone Family

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 11 August 2007]

I would never have dreamed that Sylvester Stallone would appear in a film that has its basis in a French farce. But Oscar is exactly that.

Taken from a play by Claude Magnier with the same title, the action is transferred to 1931 Chicago where gangster Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone is looking to go legitimate because of a promise he made to his dying father. The father is played by Kirk Douglas and Douglas's death scene opens the film and it's hilarious.

Sly Stallone looked like he was having one great old time spoofing his own image. The rest of the film is a day in his life dealing with bankers he's coming in with, an embezzling employee, a rival mob, a daughter looking to break loose from the family, and the police.

It's all done at a pace that rivals Billy Wilder's classic, One Two Three. In fact Oscar would have been a classic if they'd somehow persuaded Billy Wilder to direct it. It just needed that extra something from a comedy master.

Still Stallone gets good support from several generations of Hollywood players who range from Don Ameche as a priest to Marisa Tomei in her film debut as Stallone's daughter.

Catch this one if it's broadcast, especially you Stallone fans.

A nearly perfect comedy.

[ivinian · 10/10 · 3 August 2003]

Excellent timing, a fantastic cast, great soundtrack... actually, everything about this movie is terrific. It centers around mixed (and missed) messages, so a lot of it depends upon timing and straight delivery. These are accomplished in a major way.

The main center of the comedy, the valise, gets treated in a way that gets a bit old, but overall, I can't get tired of this movie. Stallone does such fantastic comedy and has such an exquisite sense of timing and delivery, it's a wonder anybody lets him do action movies. He missed his calling. Look for Ornella Muti (Princess Aura from "Flash Gordon") as the superb, dignified, and fiery-tempered Sophia, as Snaps' wife and source of fear for the entire cast, and Tim Curry as Dr. Poole, in a genius turn as a mild-mannered professor discovering love for the first time. It's a fairly obscure movie, but if you get the chance to see it, do treat yourself.

The film is a gem!

[spacegoonie · 7/10 · 7 March 2007]

You don't have to be a Stalone fan to enjoy this film. It is a comedy, and it delivers in large doses.

There are a ton of characters and most are played by well known actors. The story progresses very fast because they introduce one of the new characters at every corner for much of the movie. This may sound chaotic, but the plot flows and you get just enough of each character to feel satisfied.

If you need a good family film with lots of laughs Oscar won't disappoint. The basic premise, is a Gangster in the days of prohibition who is trying to leave his life of crime while many crazy events try to thwart his attempt.

Light-hearted watchable gangster comedy

[Maziun · 5/10 · 7 November 2015]

This film is based on the 1958 French play "Oscar" by Claude Magnier and it's also a remake of French 1967 movie "Oscar" staring Louis De Funes. I haven't seen the French version and considering my dislike for French comedies (with few exceptions) I don't think I ever will. So there won't be any comparisons between the French movie and Hollywood version. The only thing you need to know is the action here is set in 30's America in world of Italian gangsters instead of 60's France and the world of French businessmen.

The story here is completely ridiculous , but it's a FARCE people , it has to be that way . The story has to be slightly confusing and full of action and twists. Maybe that's the reason why the USA audience didn't liked it ? It's kind of weird considering it's a homage to 30's comedies that are still popular today. It feels a lot like a Cary Grant / Katherine Hepburn movie.

Some jokes feel repetitive and the story gets predictable in some place , but it never hurts the movie too much The story is pretty much an excuse to put the characters in funny situations. The characters are well defined and likable. The movie is loaded with memorable dialogue and wordplay . "Oscar" feels like a mix of screwball comedy and «commedia dell'arte».

Sylvester Stallone always had a great sense of humor even in his most serious movies (contrary to what people say). Here he is having fun spoofing his own image and shows a really good comic timing . He does an admirable job and actually fits his role. "Oscar" has also an all star supporting cast: Don Ameche ("Trading places") , Marisa Tomei ("My cousin Vinny") , Tim Curry ("Rocky horror picture show"), Kirk Douglas ("Spartacus") , Kurtwood Smith ("Robocop") Chazz Palmenteri ("Bronx tale") . Watch out for Arleen Sorkin (the voice of Harley Quinn in "Batman TAS") in small role of manicurist. Everyone is good here and fits is/hers role perfectly.

John Landis directs "Oscar" in solid way. "Oscar" actually feels like you're watching a stage show and that's not a bad thing.

Forget "Rhinestone" and "Stop or my mom will shoot". This is Stallone's best comedy (not counting his action comedies) and John Landis best movie in the 90's ( before he lost his touch completely). "Oscar" is not earth-shatteringly important movie or comedy , but it's pretty fun movie in universal way (you can watch it with all of your family and everyone should find something funny in it). I give it 5/10.

Underrated 'comedy of errors' with top notch performances from the cast !!

[DeuceWild_77 · 9/10 · 27 December 2017]

I don't know what the critics were smoking back in 1991 to give this hilarious film a negative review, maybe it was the beginning of a more "dark Era" and this attempting at a thirties Hollywood screwball comedy film, felt out of place or it was the "jumping in the bandwagon" bash against the great Sylvester Stallone, the "winner of the worst actor of the decade" by the "fabulous" Razzies (what a joke !!).

Unfortunately, the audiences teamed with the critics and "Oscar" was a major flop when it was released in theaters, but became huge succesful on video and found its audience there, even if it's still largely underrated nowadays.

"Oscar" is a delightfully well-staged and nicely paced "'comedy of errors", based on the 1967 French film of the same name, starring Louis de Funès, but with the setting moved to 1931, during the Depression-era in New York City, telling the story of a Mob Boss, Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Stallone), trying to going straight after a promise he made to his dying father, Eduardo (Kirk Douglas), but it won't be an easy task...

This was the first John Landis' film, after the major Box Office hit of his "Coming to America" ('88) starring Eddie Murphy, and probably the expectations were higher for the director to deliver another audience friendly contemporary comedy, but Landis took a risk honoring (and resurrecting) a dead genre and glad he did so.

The performances are all top notch, well directed by Landis and perfectly adequate to the characters they're playing, the settings and the tone of the movie: Sly Stallone is a great comedy actor, he have the right delivery timing, funny expressions and truly dominates the central role of the film with the great support of Peter Riegert and Chazz Palminteri as his (not so bright) henchmen; Ornella Muti & Marisa Tomei as his dominating wife and spoiled teenage daughter; Landis' usual collaborator, the veteran Don Ameche as Father Clemente; Tim Curry as the linguistic Dr. Poole; Vincent Spano as the greedy accountant and the duo Harry Shearer & Martin Ferrero, playing the tailors Finucci Brothers, which are hilarious. Kirk Douglas joined the cast in the prologue, alongside Yvonne De Carlo (God Bless Lily Munster !!) in her last screen role, offering a memorable cameo.

In short, this is one of the funniest comedies ever put on-screen, people shouldn't listen to Stallone's haters or the snobbish movie critics, who probably didn't even get the movie.

For fans of a good farce, this is the movie to watch, i give it a solid 9 stars !!

A winning mob farce

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 11 May 2017]

I guess I went into "Oscar" with low expectations because you never hear this movie discussed, either as a Stallone or a John Landis movie. But I really did like this. I knew it had something with that stop-motion opening. Give Sly credit, he throws himself into the jokes (this is saying something; I've seen him shuffle through some movies), and the timing is a big reason why the movie works. And Landis stuffs the movie with great supporting talent. Even still, Peter Riegert stands out.

With a lesser director, this probably wouldn't have worked. But it does, and I think as a Stallone experiment in slapstick comedy, it's a successful effort.

7/10

"We make you look like a banker."

[The_Movie_Cat · 3/10 · 18 June 2002]

The funniest gag in this dismal film, an unintentional insult to Sly in a Hollywood system that doesn't acknowledge Cockney rhyming slang.

Oscar opens with a man visiting his father on his deathbed, then segues into a plasticine model singing The Barber of Seville. Amazingly, it actually manages to get worse from this point on.

I always cut Sylvester Stallone a lot of slack for reasons I've never been quite able to fathom, and even cast a kind eye over Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. But this overplayed, rigidly directed (supposed) comedy really is unbearable.

A period piece (which, when shot with modern film techniques makes it look like a TV movie) it has such gems as a man who stutters, gangsters who say "boss" when told not to, an "Irish" maid and Sly as an all-mugging "Godfather". As you can see, this is a picture that takes comedy back further than the 30s in which it's set.

As mobster Angelo Provolone Stallone learns a new word every day. Bizarrely, Angelo's word of the day here is expeditious, defined by him as "to be efficient and speedy". For if there's anything Oscar isn't, it's efficient or speedy. In fact, it's yawn-making 120 minutes of stretched-out pap.

Why am I even bothering to analyse this tripe? The characters aren't believable, the script isn't interesting, the narrative is tedious. I hate bandwagons, but this film is bad. Really bad. Stallone's comic timing is... what comic timing? The acting is overplayed, the script poor and derivative. And derivative of stock comic situations, too. The scene where Chazz Palminiteri empties his pockets of weapons is so predictable it's untrue. See also: the final bag scene.

Let's be positive. The plot, when it finally gets going, is actually fairly clever in a contrived, drawerroom kind of way. And I did laugh at the cheesiness of four lines: "I'm smoking a salmon." "Well put it out."/"Not in front of the help." "Trust me, he's no help."/"Of course I knew. I just had no idea."/"What killed him?" "Someone stepped on his fingers." "And that killed him??" "He was hanging from a window ledge at the Addison Hotel at the time."

And that's it. The rest of it, from the constant shouting (from Ornella Muti particularly) is draining, and even the incidental music is an annoyance. Sylvester's allowed to break the fourth-wall, sub-Hardy style on two separate occasions, an act of pure desperation here. It is nice to see that IMDb voters have actually gone against the tide, with – to date - a 5.2 average for this movie (and less than 30% of voters giving it below 5). And out of 37 comments, 33 of them are positive. Sadly, however, I must agree with the majority of external Oscar reviews, and the tagline – "It's a comedy of criminal proportions!" – and remark how terrible it all is. Forget Judge Dredd, Cobra, The Specialist... this is the worst Sylvester Stallone movie ever made.

Should be mandatory viewing for those who rip on Sly

[Verbal-17 · 10/10 · 7 June 2001]

This got some of the best reviews of any recent Stallone film, and after seeing it, I understand why. It's an absolutely hilarious, wonderful movie that shows one of Sly's best performances, and a great supporting cast. It was a long time before I got around to seeing it, but man, am I glad I did. I haven't laughed this much in a long time. And to those of you who jump on the negative hype bandwagon and make fun of Stallone like a bunch of lemmings, check this one out.

This late 20th century try at screwball comedy is quite good

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 13 March 2022]

"Oscar" is a good comedy film set in 1931 New York. Sylvester Stallone stars as gangster, 'Snaps' Provolone, who promises his dad on his death bed to go straight. This is a more modern screwball comedy, set in the time and place and filmed much as that type of film originated. Typical of such a genre, the plot has a handful of subplots and it weaves in and out and between them with good humor.

Stallone is quite good in the role. A couple of old hands will be familiar to long-time movie buffs. Don Ameche plays Father Clemente, and Eddie Bracken plays Five Spot Charlie. This isn't anywhere near the comedy level of "Libeled Lady" of 1936, "Merrily We Live" of 1938, "The Lady Eve" of 1941, or other great screwball films. But, it has good laughs and a plot that will have viewers smiling and chuckling.

Everyone's Different. Some Like Oscar ... and Some Don't

[happipuppi13 · 2/10 · 20 May 2022]

Somebody please take me to a psychiatrist....because I "must" have been mentally ill to go see both of Stallone's attempts at making comedy films.

Now, that's just a little joke and actually, from my original review of this in 2005. I updated this review today because I wanted to be less 'snarky' about it. I saw this at a movie theater a few days after it came out.

While I am glad others can find 10, 9 , 8 or 7 star humor in it...when I saw it, I simply just didn't find it funny and I was 23 then. I have a great sense of humor, I love comedy , but "Oscar" just didn't work for me.

I'm not rating it 2 to be a jerk or tell anyone their opinion is wrong ... it's how I honestly feel. I felt that also the advertising for the film built a false expectation.

I thought this could be a really funny film, when studios put together a movie trailer, they try to put the best scenes within them. I also, after seeing Oscar, didn't think he could fail me twice, when I went to see "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot."

Yet, I did have the same result with, "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot." When I thought a situation was building to something really funny, it too, like that film , fell totally flat.

For "Oscar" , there was so much more here, that could have been used to great effect in creating great humor and comedy, but for whatever reason, what they were aiming to do here, missed the target. (Yes, that is a great cliche'd way of putting it, but it fits. )

I can honestly say the only thing I, marginally, laughed at, was when he was going on about the "records" his 1930's daughter has been listening too. "Minnie The Moocher" by Cab Calloway.

The most tired idea in this movie was done 100 times better in Streisand's, 1972 film, "What's Up Doc?" It's the "we mixed up each others tote bags" plot. This was a completely unoriginal idea. Oh no, one has ladies underwear in it, instead of ..."

Hardly matters, because this is where the film totally lost me, I didn't leave the theater, but after that unoriginal idea, even the plot of his daughter marrying an oddball like Dr. Poole (Tim Curry), couldn't keep my full attention. (Curry was good here but, the surrounding elements, made it a waste of his time and talent.)

Again, to all of you that LOVE "Oscar", I'm glad for you. I just didn't enjoy it. We're human and allowed to have different feelings about things.

2 stars : I gave one extra for Curry. That's my honest view. (END)

Great

[drummer-3 · 10 March 1999]

I just love to see Sylvester playing anything else but macho studs, and in this movie he does and doesn't if you catch my drift. I think his portrayal of a godfather going straight is fantastic and the whole movie had me in hysterics more than once, fun stuff.!!

Solid screwball farce with funny performances from its ensemble

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 30 January 2022]

Following a deathbed promise to his father (Kirk Douglas), depression-era gangster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) tries to go straight and move to more legitimate interests. On the day he finalizes an important deal to transition his assets to banking, Snaps is beset by a nonstop series of lies, revelations, and misunderstandings ranging from surprise suitors who are after a woman who's not his daughter, a daughter who says she's pregnant but isn't, and antagonistic forces from the police, bank, and rival mob bosses resulting in farcical chaos.

Oscar is a 1991 remake of the 1967 film of the same name starring Louis de Funes which itself was adapted from a stage play by Claude Magnier. While the original de Funes film was set in contemporary times, Landis made the remake a period film and was influenced by comedies released around the era in which the film is set, with humor and dialogue delivered in a manner reminiscent of old Hollywood comedies. Initially a vehicle for Al Pacino, Pacino left the project when the film Dick Tracy offered him $1 million more than Oscar resulting in the casting of Sylvester Stallone (no doubt taking a page from Schwarzenegger's book with his films Twins and Kindergarten Cop). A critical and commercial dud upon release, the movie did receive some praise from critics such as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel who gave the film two thumbs up on their syndicated review show, but most of the reception tended to skew negative. 30 years later looking back, Oscar is a well crafted homage to old school screwball farces and has some terrific work from an ensemble cast.

The movie like its source is a comedy of errors wherein complications and character motivations are piled on and thrown at the audience so thick and fast so that we don't have time to think about them. Director John Landis keeps the energy moving with a series of larger than life characters who come through the Snaps' mansion home that serves as our primary setting with characters coming, leaving, and coming back often with new developments and revelations that only serve to add to the confusion and chaos. Stallone makes a good straight man to the chaos that is his life and gives appropriately large reactions frustrations and shocks. Marisa Tomei is fun as Snap' resentful daughter, Chazz Palminteri gets some solid mileage out his delightfully thick headed henchmen persona with a solid running gag about Snaps taking weapons away from him, and Tim Curry makes a massively welcome appearance as Snaps' linguistics coach who becomes embroiled in the farcical chaos with his usual energy and charisma.

There's really not much I can say about Oscar other than "it's funny". The movie recreates the look an old Hollywood screwball farce and has a strong ensemble of energized players giving funny reactions to the chaos running through their lives and aside from ending on a "just okay" note it's pretty much what you'd expect from this type of light comedic farce.

Excellent Movie! ~!

[Roxburyfunny1 · 10/10 · 8 February 2004]

This movie was a great one you can laugh really hard and not care who's around. If the words "Yes Boss" don't get you laughing then i don't know what will. Tim Curry is notorious for comedy or just being a bad guy in alot of movie but he did an excellent job in this movie with slyvester Stallone. This movie has alot of laughter great characters and a really good unique story line that you don't see very often. Yes indeed the story get's a little confusing but you can't help but love the era of the movie and the way everyone's does so well with their characters. Recommended for a movie night or just for a few good laughs! ~!

Makes me happy

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 8 November 2020]

It took me a few viewings over the years but I've finally come around on this one. I've always thought it had a certain charm to it but I never found it terribly funny so I resisted praising it too much. These days I'm all about embracing how I feel about a movie instead of trying to find ways to "make it ok" to like something that maybe most other people don't. This movie makes me feel happy. I laugh here and there but mainly I'm just smiling through the whole thing. The cast is great and John Landis, a director more known for a more modern often crude style of humor, offers up a loving homage to a bygone age. Fans of movies from the 1930s like myself will probably find more about Oscar to enjoy than others but I don't think it's a requirement to know what's being referenced in order to like the film.

Totally hilarious!

[H3463 · 10/10 · 23 April 2005]

This movie has become one of my all-time favorites.

Sylvester Stallone and most of the rest of the cast aren't especially known for comedic acting, but they all pull it off brilliantly. The most well know comedy actor in the group, Tim Curry, plays one of his funniest characters on screen.

The stars of the movie should all consider doing more of this genre, especially Stallone! I don't understand how anyone can see this movie, and even if they're not crazy about it, at least appreciate the great comic timing each actor brings to their role, not to mention, all the very funny throw-in lines that grace the dialogue.

Don't limit actors like Stallone and Chazz Palminterri to action or heavy drama. Fans should always try to embrace new things.

Underrated and totally unjust reviews

[bsinc · 7/10 · 11 February 2002]

I loved this movie. It was funny, it was entertaining, and it had some great actors in it, so what exactly do people expect from a comedy anyway. Personally, I think that Stallone and Curry were dead funny and Marisa Tomei played the role of a spoiled daughter to perfection. I loved the confusing story which ends with a nice outcome and is completely satisfactory, so I ask again, what exactly was so terrible about this movie? Pure entertainment. 7/10

"A leopard don't change his stripes!" .. "You mean spots?" .. "I mean Snaps!"

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 10 December 2016]

1930s gangster "Snaps" Provolone makes a deathbed promise to his papa that will he go straight; one month later, with his goons disarmed, Snaps is trying to get on the board of directors of the bank, but his former cronies think he's planning something big; meanwhile, Snaps' sheltered daughter is pretending to be pregnant by Oscar the chauffeur in order to get out of the house. Busy, fairly laughless farce, adapted from Claude Magnier's play by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland, hopes to evoke the screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s, but needed a far more nimble touch (and a likable troupe of players) to succeed. Here, director John Landis plays traffic manager with his hammy cast, encouraging them to flail away and mug without funny characterizations (it's all gangster shtick). An over-rehearsed Sylvester Stallone has the lead; his clipped line readings aren't fresh, and one can see right away that henchman Chazz Palminteri would do much better with the part (Palminteri's scene emptying his pockets-- a cartoonish, familiar gag--manages to get the biggest laugh). Stallone isn't much of a comedian (he's too heavy-spirited), and "Oscar" isn't much of a comedy, although one can fixated on the picture watching scene after scene fizzle without benefit of precise pacing and delivery. *1/2 from ****

An underrated gem!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 February 2009]

I love this movie so much. It has everything a comedy of errors should have, and John Landis did a great job directing this. The script was very good indeed. A little predictable at times, as a lot of the jokes are repeated, but it is all very solid, and I loved the play-like structure of the story. The bag routine had me in stitches; the only other time that has happened to me, was in Clue, which is also a must-see. This movie is laden with cameos, from famous faces such as Don Ameche, Eddie Bracken and Kurtwood Smith. Who can forget that priceless cameo from Kirk Douglas. Sylvester Stallone is surprisingly good here, much better than he was in Stop, Or My Mum Will Shoot, which I won't describe other than to say it is easily forgettable. In fact this is by far and away his BEST comedy. The "Don't call me boss"line is just as funny as the bags routine. Ornella Muti and Marissa Tomei play fiery young women amusingly, and Peter Riegert plays Aldo to perfection. Vincent Spano plays a suitably ambiguous character, but the acting honours without doubt belong to Chazz Palminteri and Tim Curry. Chazz Palminteri is just so adorable as Connie, and the way Provolone treated him was quite horrible.("It's like disarming Germany.") Tim Curry doesn't appear until halfway through, and whilst he is not as funny as he was in Clue, his turn of Dr. Poole is genius, especially when his grammatical errors get misunderstood. Also superb were the lush and beautifully rendered costumes and sets, asides from the acting and the costumes, Elmer Bernstein's score was a treat. From the charming puppet sequence featuring Largo Al Factotum from Rossini's masterpiece Barber of Seville, to the love theme, to the wedding scene, I loved it. Also it was so musical with what the actors were doing on screen. A must-see, and for those of you who haven't seen it, are seriously missing out, and those of you who hated it need your heads examined, for I know a good comedy when I see one, and this is it! NOTE: in the United Kingdom, it is very hard to find, and it has never been shown on TV. But I did manage to get it on DVD, before it became literally non-existent. 10/10 Bethany Cox.

"Rocco the rum-runner rubbed out Rico the Rat with his roscoe for robbing his rum-running receipts."

[reddiemurf81 · 7/10 · 22 February 2022]

This came out 31 yrs ago? Dang I'm getting old,,,

In this comedy Sly portrays Angelo "Snaps" Provolone, a 1930s gangster who has decided to go straight after making a deathbed promise to his father to stop engaging in the "gangster" business. The majority of the movie takes place during one day at the Provolone's residence, where Snaps lives with his wife Sofia, and their daughter Lisa. The planned schedule for the day was for Snaps to meet with his tailors, elecution teacher, and then with the board of bank reps that he's looking to get into business with,, however, the day doesn't go quite as planned.

We see Snaps Provolone dealing with - An embezzling accountant / a spoiled, whiny 18 yr old daughter / a house of mafia henchmen turned into household servants / a world traveling elecution teacher / an upset wife / police surveillance from across the street / a priest who witnessed the deathbed promise to his father / a maid that quits to marry the young man Snaps had his heart set on Lisa marrying / an army bound former chauffeur / a former flame turned maid for hire / a snooty set of banker tycoons / a rival mafia family looking to take him out / a set of italian brothers who tailor / and a bag full of women's lingerie,,, it's a mad house!!! Lol 😆 Snaps' day gets all mixed up in the most hilarious ways possible. Stallone and the incredible supporting cast (really incredible cast!!) brings the lols in a big way with this early 90s comedy. I love this movie. I have no clue about the play this is based on,, but I'd love to see that as well. I'd give it a 7.4 rating!!

Comedy without comedians

[SnoopyStyle · 1/10 · 9 August 2015]

It's the depression era and 4 million are out of work. Chicago gangster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) promises his father on his death bed to go straight. A month later, he's looking to put his money into the banks who are desperate for his cash. His young accountant Anthony Rossano wants a big raise to marry Teresa. Teresa told Anthony that she's Snaps' daughter and Snaps thinks Anthony is talking about his spoiled daughter Lisa (Marisa Tomei). Anthony had kept almost $50k of Snaps' money and offers the jewels he bought with the money in exchange for his daughter. Then Lisa lies to her father that she got pregnant by their former chauffeur Oscar. She wants to escape her over-protective father. Snaps is eager to marry her off. There is a long-running misunderstanding between Snaps and Anthony. Also speech therapist Dr. Thornton Poole (Tim Curry) is secretly in love with Lisa. Police led by Lt. Toomey is sure that Snaps is working on a large illegal deal.

This movie tired me out. It's one of those old fashion screwball comedies where there are a ton of misunderstandings and a bag of jewels that keeps going to the wrong person. The problem is that the movie is relying on the miscommunications to be funny all on their face value. Isn't it funny that Snaps and Anthony don't understand each other? For me, a comedy needs more than misunderstandings. It needs real comedians with real comic timing. Sly is yelling a lot and his anger is suppose to be funny. Vincent Spano is even less funny although it may be his annoying character. At least, Marisa Tomei tries to be wacky but she's also rather annoying. I watched this a long time ago and I watched it again recently. Both times, the movie gave me a headache and that's the last of Oscar for me.

A comedic gangster film?? Yes, & it works!

[dtrent-2 · 6 June 2000]

If you love Sly, if you love comedy, if you love gangster films, then this one's for you! It's got all that & more! Marisa Tomei playing Sly's daughter?? It works! The beautiful Italian import, Ornella Muti playing Sly's wife? It works! Chazz Palminteri playing a hood yet once again? That always works! Whatcha got here is 1 Mob Boss (the ever-elegant Sly) tryin' to go straight 'cuz he promised his dying father (Kirk Douglas's cameo), cops who just won't buy it, bankers who can't stand it, a mix-up with "a little black bag", a search for a husband for Sly's daughter, an annoying accountant who skims $$$ off the top to marry Sly's "other daughter, the one that's not Lisa", & this all happens in ONE MORNING!! Ya gotta feel sorry for the guy! How can he cope? He does it - just as Sly as he can be, too!

Buy this one if you can still find it. It's a comedy of 'great ethnic proportions'!