Poor Man’s Matchstick Men: it checks all the con-man boxes, but without much style

★★★☆☆

Last week, we talked about one of David’s great loves, the biopic. This week we wade into another of his favorite topics: the con man movie. The con man genre is full of excellent films and even better characters. Con men give us all a chance to live vicariously through them. They give us hope that we can ultimately beat the game, and still be likable while we do it. Its a hard thing to screw up too badly. Find someone with a winning smile to cast as your lead. Give them some clever one-liners and an unlikeable mark we can root against. Make sure the tables turn at least once, but preferably more than once. Ah hell, I also love con men movies.

David assigned me to watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the 1988 con-man flick starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Caine plays a big shot con artist preying on rich female American tourists who fall for his charms in the french riviera. All is going well until Steve Martin rolls into town. Suddenly, we’re in the middle of a con-man competition.

Sounds like a romping good time, but for all the confidence men in this movie, it lacks one behind the scenes. Frank Oz (yes, that Frank Oz) directed this movie as a followup to Little Shop of Horrors, a movie that is weird, and dark, and looks so distinct, it can be recognized from a single frame. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is lacking this distinct style. In comparison, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels feels very by-the-book. Oz was attempting to harken back to the old days of Hollywood. He managed to capture the whimsy of the era, but also some of the mass produced feel of the studio system era. All of that said, at least Oz picked a good book to steal a page from.

Michael Caine and Steve Martin carry this movie from beginning to end. Modern movie goers, like myself, know Caine mostly as a character actor, but here he leads and Martin follows. Lawrence Jamieson, Caine’s character, is Don Draper before Don Draper. He oozes so much cool that you forget what a terrible person he is. Martin’s character is mostly Steve Martin, but that’s not a bad thing. The two have a chemistry that makes their escalating competition fun to be a part of. This movie was originally supposed to be for Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and while that would have been great for a lot of different reasons, Caine and Martin were the most successful part of this movie.

As far as the conning goes in this movie, I’m usually pretty good at figuring out plots, but I have to give the movie some credit for keeping me on my toes. I can’t really talk too much more about it without spoiling something for you, but I’m trying to give credit where it’s due. In the end, solid acting and a decent story seems like it should add up to a better overall product, but the story is missing a crucial element: stakes. I’m never afraid for what will happen to any character in the movie. I’m never excited when they finally pull of one of their cons. I enjoy spending time with the characters, but I wish the circumstances were more interesting.

In the end, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, has a safe quality to it. Caine and Martin give the movie a high floor, so you know you won’t be totally bored by the movie. The plot gives you plenty of time to get up and empty the dishwasher or move your laundry. The lack of stakes means you aren’t afraid to get up and do something more important. This might be damning with faint praise, but sometimes we need movies like this. It is the kind of movie you hope to flip on TNT and find playing. It is the perfect Sunday morning kind of movie.

This film is currently unavailable for online streaming.

Next week, David is going to review Frank. Every now and then a movie pops up on the radar so many times you just have to give it a watch. I knew David wouldn’t do it on his own, so I gave him a little push.