Small Time Crooks

Starring: Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Tony Darrow, Jon Lovitz, Michael Rapaport, Elaine May, George Grizzard, Elaine Stritch

In case anyone forgot, Woody Allen is still one of the funniest movie makers around, and he proves it with this small-scale gem. A throwback to the days of “Take the Money and Run” (even to the point of Woody playing an inept criminal), the picture made me laugh harder than I have at a movie in a long time. While Allen’s personal peccadilloes at times have seemed to overshadow his work, we should not forget that he long ago moved beyond the category of “comic genius” to that of “film genius,” the kind of filmmaker ranked with Bergman, Fellini, Coppola, and the like.

But he doesn’t let that sort of talk go to his head. In “Small Time Crooks,” he is just out to make us laugh, and he does, over and over again. He can still mix physical comedy and smart one-liners better than anyone, with nary a nod to metaphysics or moral quandaries in sight (well, maybe a gentle reminder about being true to yourself, and holding on to what’s important). The picture opens with Allen’s trademark white credits on a black background, a jazz score playing, and the story is quickly in motion. Allen plays Ray Winkler, a former small-time thief married to Frenchy (Ullman), a former stripper. Ray has devised a scheme to rob a bank, which he believes will enable them to escape their humdrum lives. Frenchy, despite her misgivings, agrees to help out by baking cookies as a front for the operation. In short order Ray has gathered a hilariously incompetent group of cohorts (Rapaport, Darrow, Lovitz), but naturally things do not go as planned. That story alone would have been funny enough and is as far as most filmmakers would have taken the picture.

But Allen is not most filmmakers, and in a nice twist about a third of the way through, the picture changes from a caper comedy to a comedy of manners, as Ray and Frenchy wind up rich, but not in the way they had expected. Frenchy tries to adapt to her new-found wealth, taking lessons in “couture” (art, literature, wine, etc.) from classy Englishman David (Grant). Meanwhile, Ray just wants to eat cheeseburgers and play poker; his idea of making it big is moving to Florida. The two drift apart; Frenchy struggles for acceptance from the upper crust, while Ray seems unable to resist the lure of his larcenous past. As always, Allen has surrounded himself with a top-notch comic cast. Ullman and May (as Frenchy’s cousin May, a woman so disengaged that she’s practically in orbit) are truly standout, but every actor is note perfect. And, at 65 years old, Allen's ear and timing have never been better. The extended “60 Minutes”-style story on the success of Ray and Frenchy’s cookie company is a whimsical digression, to be sure, yet seems totally organic to the picture. “Small Time Crooks” is a nimble comic pleasure. Even the downer notes are soft, there are no traces of cynicism or negativity, and nobody gets hurt. If you don’t walk out with a smile on your face, therapy may be in order. I suppose that this picture is “just” a comedy, and so may not rank up there with Allen’s greatest pictures, but comedy this skillful has a greatness all its own, so enjoy. (5/23/2000)