the_doofy
Both of the primary actresses smoke heavily. So for me, the movie was gross.I get tired of hearing women bragging during conversation how they smoke and have had kids without birth defects, how their mom or friends etc smoke with no defects.Most birth defects are not visible. I wonder if the movie got some monetary props for this kind of smoking from cig companies
sol-
Deep in debt, a suburban dentist is persuaded to inform on a contract killer (with a bounty on his head) when he moves next door, only to experience a crisis of conscious after befriending the man in this zesty comedy starring Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis. Both leads shine in roles that seem tailor-made for them. Some of Perry's reactions are over-the-top upon realising his neighbor's identity, but they lead to some incredibly funny moments like Willis offering him a tulip at a market (his signature flower for victims). There is something quite magnificent about the deadpan performance that Willis provides too; he comes off so genuine in his conversations where he calls Perry a friend and so relaxed when talking about his business, and yet still possesses a sense of danger when it comes to the sporadic action scenes. Amanda Peet delivers a layered supporting performance too as her character gradually becomes more complex. The plot admittedly does not stack up to close scrutiny. If Willis is hiding out, why do nothing to hide his appearance? And why would he be so confident to casually wander the streets? A side plot with Perry's wife hiring her own hit-man to kill him is also amusing, but the coincidences needed to have both plots to overlap stretch credibility. The dialogue sparkles so much here though that any script deficiencies are easy to overlook. The movie is also unafraid to treat murder, deception and infidelity in a very lighthearted way, which in turns makes it more laugh-out-loud funny than the average black comedy out there.
John Brooks
Time is 2000. Bruce Willis fresh off 'the Fifth Element'. An on-form Matthew Perry fresh off 'Friends'. This is a crime-comedy with all the goods from either world, and it's done *just right*. The plot is good, and the film's got that typical contorted type story at the middle of it linking many different characters, but still absolutely coherent and compelling. Perry really is very funny in this one, and it's about to be one crazy ride for this prude of a dentist when an ex- big time conman is his neighbor and he finds out who he is and somehow finds himself involved. This is a crazy ride, with lots of great fun and action, good laughs, a good atmosphere between tight tension and comedy relief, the supporting cast is great, and the plots within the plots are strong enough to make this a fairly layered piece of genre-hybrid cinema. Just all in all, an excellent comedy.
zombiefan89
I was very confused by Bruce Willis in this movie. I was kind of expecting him to play a lunatic serial killer, like in The Jackal, since he was an assassin again, but he was very tame this time around. The movie's general theme is comedy after all, Matthew Perry's strong point, but definitely not Willis's. Willis is most at home in an action-drama role. However, Amanda Peet was clearly the film's strongest contender. She really brightens up the mood whenever she's on screen. Although, I half expected Willis to just to get bored and discard her like he would have in The Jackal, he is a hit-man after all.
AD
