{2.1 meg QT} {2.1 meg AVI}
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Palookaville, the feature film debut of Alan Taylor, is a pleasant little
movie in the lovable-losers-driven-to-petty-crime-who- botch-it-up-entirely
genre of filmmaking. Oh so loosely based on the Italo Calvino collection of
short stories Ultimo Viene il Corvo, Palookaville is not quite fanciful
enough to truly qualify as Calvino (the film's credits wisely and wittily
apologize to Calvino), and it is perhaps too charming for its own good.
Granted, not all films have to be (say), Mike Leigh's Naked but a little
more edge and weight would have helped Palookaville enormously. And Steve
Buscemi's Trees Lounge, which covers some of the same territory, is far
more satisfying in this regard. Still, Palookaville features some truly
lovely acting on the part of everyone, and that, for me at least, is a
pleasure to watch.
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Director Taylor and screenwriter David Epstein have taken Calvino's stories
of war-ravaged Italy and updated them to present-day New Jersey. Three
young, unemployed, working-class pals, Sid (William Forsythe), Russ
(Vincent Gallo) and Jerry (Adam Trese) are increasingly feeling the
economic crunch on their lives, and so they turn to petty crime not because
they consider themselves real criminals (with the possible exception of
Russ, they're way too lovable to be that) but strictly as a "momentary
shift in lifestyle," as one of them puts it. In an early botched heist,
they attempt to break into a jewelry store, but their basement ground plans
prove inaccurate and they end up instead in the bakery next door. Before
leaving, Jerry can't help helping himself to an arm-load of doughnuts and
cream-puffs. You get the idea.
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In any case, they hit upon the idea of robbing an armored car, planning it
in precise detail with about as much tender loving care as the characters
in Big Night plan their sumptuous meals. Naturally, it all goes wrong,
thanks to complications instigated by Ed (Gareth Williams), Russ's
brother-in-law cop who has been suspicious of our three heroes all along.
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Along the way, we get snatches of sub-plots involving Jerry's wife and
small kid, Russ's family at home, and Sid's obsession with his dogs which
serves to fill in the emotional hole left by a painful divorce. The
ever-luminous Frances McDormand makes an all-too-brief appearance as a
hard-drinking prostitute with a sympathetic ear.
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Needless-to-say, it all works out by the final credits, and the film ends
on a happy and sardonic note. Only occasionally does Palookaville touch
down for a requisite reality check, but it's technically well put together
and beautifully acted, and that, as I said, is a pleasure. If "charming"
working-class grittiness is your cup of tea, then Palookaville is probably
the last word.
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