rael
People had been dumping on this film a lot so I made sure to check all the other Landis movies I could before trying this one out. Susan's Plan is a low budget "a bunch of people talking to each other" movie with a very simple plot - the title character comes up with a plan to whack her ex husband with the help of her friends and split the insurance money, but the plan goes wrong and hilarity ensues.Susan's Plan, even if obviously smaller, is still classic Landis. The low budget is compensated by a strong narrative and a myriad of colorful characters who're rather at home in the Dream On universe, than in bigger Landis movies. Almost everybody in this movie is famous for one thing or the other, even the small parts, just check out the cast. The most unexpected performance comes from Michael Biehn, I'm not sure if he ever played something so funny and against type, because it's a role one would expect Jim Carey to play. Thomas Haden Church seems to be playing Peter Weller. Lisa Edelstein is all Cuddy again. And Dan Aykroyd's character is just really sick! Susan's Plan feels constructed around cheap and accessible locations and well known, but inexpensive actors, and it's very well done at that. At just 85 minutes it appears to have some padding scenes of various importance, like characters' dream sequences, Susan's day job as a teacher, or Stuart Gordon as a doctor telling a dirty joke, but it's done to make a full creative use of a location. One thing that I found amazing was how Landis and his actors manage to switch between something really funny, or plain silly to something suspenseful and genuinely scary almost all in a single scene. Overall it's a small crime comedy for midnight TV that looks bigger than it actually is. I really liked it and I recommend it.
beckmen
I rented this movie becuase Michael Biehn was in it, and found it surprisingly good. Biehn, in his first comedic role, really shines. He brings an interesting airheadedness to the role which is a fun change to his usual mega-serious roles in other films. However, the film is also filled with humorous portayls by Lara Flynn Bolye, Nastassja Kinski and Billy Zane. Rob Schneider, Thomas Haden Church and Adrian Paul also give semi-funny performences, and Dan Akroyd plays a barely believable, but funny role as "Bob". The plot is very cliched and rather normal, but the film is very funny and the charecters interesting to watch. It was a very pleasent surprise, this film. Highly reccomended to fans of Biehn, Kinski, Boyle or just fans of good comedies.
unbrokenmetal
Hard to say what went wrong with this movie. Great cast and a director famous for his funny films - but somehow the pieces of the puzzle don't fit together. Everything is a bit lame. Except for the unexpected dream sequences, the film holds few surprises and just doesn't make me laugh as often as it should. Worth watching for the fans of Dan Aykroyd, though, because he's never had the opportunity to play such a mean tough guy before (as far as I know). Nastassja Kinski still got the magic: I love the moment in the prison cell, when she looks at the other prisoner and doesn't know if she wants to cry or laugh... (Voted 6/10)
tarlan
With some wonderful names attached to this film you would expect to see some great acting... no disappointment there. All the main cast were superb in their roles.So why am I not enthusing over this film. There seemed to be something just slightly off key with the humour. It had all the trappings of being exceptional but, perhaps it went a little too far overboard and became a little confusing - in the 'why did the Director want to do that?' sense of the word.The highs: Michael Biehn as the inept, would-be-killer, Bill, stuck in the closet with panicking Billy Zane's Insurance salesman and Bill's 'flatulent' best buddy.Dan Ackroyd in a wonderful deadpan role as 'Bob'.The Lows: The script - it was a little too flat and I am amazed the actors did such a great job given some of the lines they had to work with.
AD
