Of all the movies Don Ameche and Tim Curry made together, I think “Oscar” is my favorite.
I kid.
“Oscar” (1991) is one of my favorite comedies, and I hadn’t seen it in years. I used to have it on VHS tape, but I loaned the tape to someone and never got it back. My North Carolina brother and sister-in-law are in town with their family; it’s one of my brother’s favorites, too, and he wanted my father to see it. You see, my father does not like Sylvester Stallone, but Mike and I both knew my father would love this particular movie if he ever ended up watching it.
Seriously, I never understood why this wasn’t a huge hit. I know most of Stallone’s other comic efforts were duds, but this one is different – it uses him perfectly, and surrounds him with a wonderful comic ensemble including Ameche, Curry, Eddie Bracken, Harry Shearer, Chazz Palminteri, Marisa Tomei, Linda Gray, Peter Riegert, Kurtwood Smith and Ken Howard. This is a gut-buster of a movie, directed by the great John Landis.
The movie is set in 1931. Before the opening credits, we see gangster Angelo “Snaps” Provolone (Stallone) at the deathbed of his father, played by Kirk Douglas (!!!). This was five years prior to the 1996 stroke which gave Douglas his current speech impediment. Dear old Dad gets Snaps to promise that he will abandon the criminal life and become a legitimate businessman.
After the credits, we jump forward a few weeks to Snaps’ first day as a legitimate businessman, a situation which has him and his trusted henchmen (Palminteri and Riegert, screamingly funny as the big lug with a heart of gold and the wisecracking wiseguy) a little ill at ease. Provolone is trying to get ready for a meeting with some Ivy League financiers who are going to legitimize him by letting him invest in their bank.
His tailors, the Finucci brothers (Shearer and Miguel Ferrero) are trying to fit him in a banker suit, while his diction coach (Curry, as funny and disturbing as ever) tries to be Henry Higgins to Stallone’s Eliza Doolittle. But Provolone’s accountant shows up to announce that 1) he has embezzled $50,000 from Provolone and 2) he now wants to marry Provolone’s daughter. Mayhem ensues, with mistaken identities, switched suitcases, lies, misunderstandings and mass hilarity. Rival gangsters and law enforcement officers, none of whom know about Provolone’s promise to go legit, are watching his every move (aided by stammering stoolie Bracken, who plays both sides) hoping to thwart his next criminal enterprise.
Almost all of the action takes place in Provolone’s mansion, so the movie (which was based on a play) unfolds like a great stage farce.
Absolutely worth seeing, if you’ve not seen it.
