Rating: 
Summary: Cage provides the Spark; Ridley the Flame
Review: Watching Matchstick Men is like watching fireworks on a perfect July night from your back porch patio sipping a cool glass of sun-brewed tea with all that's right in the world surrounding you...it's something you enjoy.The screenplay must have had "Get Nicolas Cage or no movie," written all over it for the part of Roy, the main protagonist, divorcee, con artist, and wonderful eccentric. Cage plays Roy's each and every tic and quirk beautifully and the part gives him room to move and flex without becoming overbearing, over the top. Cage's life get a tad bit more complicated (as lives do at times), when his daughter turns up, his partner wants to up the con ante, and Roy enters into psychotherapy. If this sounds like a recipe for, "anything can happen," antics, plot turns and twist, relationship nuances, "Matchstick Men," won't disappoint. Young-comer Alison Lohman plays Cage's daughter Angela to a Tee. Her bubbly nature and forays of experimentations into the adult world make her believable and make the connection between Cage's Roy all the more...well...connected. Although there are a few misteps along the way (a few scenes that seem to be overwrought with feigned drama) (Is it a movie about character relationships vs. Is it a movie about suspensful twists and turns?), director Ridley Scott does a great job pulling all this together into an enteraining view. I enjoyed it and I highly suspect if a match is lit under your butt, you will too. --MMW
Rating:
Summary: Pros and Cons
Review: Plus side:
1. Another highly entertaining, quirky performance from Nicholas Cage.
2. Funny, at times hilarious dialog.
3. Great chemistry between Cage and Alison Lohman, who also delivers a nuts-on performance.
4. Short, snappy scenes that are well directed and edited. Negative side:
1. Plot twists at the end abruptly change a story about relationships into a story about plot twists.
2. Shiela Kelley's character, the grocery check-out clerk, had such a limited role she might as well not have been there.
Rating: 
Summary: very entertaining !!
Review: nick cage -- yesssssssssss-good job !! i love this guy--he acts !! he makes great and interesting choices as an actor--not like sean penn whos last great movie was that de niro thing years ago where they played phony priests and b4 that fast times at ridgemont hi--yer a comic actor sean !!! spicoli was that the name of yer character in fast times at ridgemont hi ?-- that was yer ratso rizzo pal !! and you have never created a character that perfectly wrought since dude !! stick to what u do well and stop taking yerself soooooooooooooooooo seriously !!--instead of always trying in these aborted pseuod dramas yer always in chewing up the scenery trying to be brando- or in that mystic river crap where he tries to be rod steiger who invented that silent scream well even he stole it from potemkin i think it was- but that phony shot of eastwoods with penn silently screaming and the camera above--give me a break !! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--phony !! but fugget that-- back to cage aND THIS FINE TWISTY CHARMING SCRIPT ! ITS A COMPELLING MOVIE--very well done !! everything about it is good- the acting story cast writing-- good job all around---great entertainment value--i mean its not lawrence of arabia but for its genre- a quirky comedy/ mystery-- u cant go wrong--rage on cage-- and penn-- take yer cue from yer fellow thespian --lighten up dude ! and i think u should have stayed home again from the academy awards that ongoing getting more painful every year drama fest sell a brating over paid over hyped actors and movies -- crying !!! geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez give me a break-- actors of old were considered trashy types spreading disease throughout europe avoided by normal people like the plague--yes u can represent us vicariously-reveal ourselves to us thru yer craft---- but it is only in our sick culture that we elevate u primarily dumb asses who grimace and prance about in yer ridiculous costumes grotesque symbols of a decaying society who seem to be interested in every sordid detail of yer soap opera lives---who believe yer own pub licity thinkof yerselves as regal beings or what have u---- i say unto people like bruce willis` ex wife-- get ye back to yer trailer trash beginnings !---- i jest but really who are these people-- grimacing like idiots like that moron who is never funny but just grotesque that cable guy----- lord help us !! but nick---- yer great ! keep it up pal!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: These "Matches" Cause A Small Flame
Review: Although the public responded moderately to this film (it grossed a little over 36 million), the critics sure did love this Ridley Scott ("Gladiator", "Alien") con artist movie. "Matchstick Men" has Nicolas Cage playing Roy Waller, a great con artist, but one messed up person. Waller is full of neuroses among his biggest problems is the fact he suffers from a major case of OCD. "Matchstick Men" has a lot of plus sides to it. Cage, as most have already stated turns in a wonderful performance. He's alive and viberant. And it's a shame he didn't receive an Academy Award nomination, he's THAT good. Also Sam Rockwell does a nice job. The two have a lot of chemistry, both are fun to watch. As are some of the cons. Which really makes a movie like this. But, "Matchstick Men" is playing around with a couple of ideas. One deals with Roy (Cage) and Frank Mercer (Rockwell) as a couple of con artist. The other deals with Roy as a man who makes Woody Allen seem tame. And the third story has Roy coming to realize he has a 14 year old daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). All of these outlines work well, at times, but the main problem I had with the film was the fact I was able to predict the ending. Any con moie you watch, you always know to expect a big twist at the end. That's just the way these films work. Watch Mamet films like "Heist", "The Spanish Prisoner", "House of Games" watch other movies like "The Grifter" and even the recent "Confidence". So knowing that "rule" it was easy to guess what would happen. "Matchstick Men" as I said does have its strong points but here's an odd case where a movie has a good execution but a so-so set-up. What I mean by that is the acting is fine, Scott's directing works, I liked the cinematography by John Mathieson, and at moments (mostly the first 45 minutes are so) the screenplay by Nicholas and Ted Griffin is enjoyable, but then the film becomes predictable. Or maybe it's predictable to a small number of people since film critic Roger Ebert openly said he did not see the ending coming. If he was lying or not I don't know. So should you see this movie? Yes. I've named all of the film's appealing points. "Matchstick Men" also keeps up Scott's winning record with me, "Gladiator", "Hannibal", & "Black Hawk Down". This is a fun movie to watch, just remember, don't make the same mistake I did, and think about it too much. You'll spoil it for yourself. Bottom-line: Entertaining con movie from Ridley Scott, that may not reach the level of other con films. Has strong performances from Cage, Rockwell, and Lohman. The only downfall to the movie is the predictable ending. Still worthwhile though.
Rating: 
Summary: EUREKA... A STINKER!
Review: Matchstick Men has the aroma of a public rest room with none of the charm. This one's a stinker from beginning to end. A "matchstick man" is a con man. Don't get conned into wasting time or money on this. A couple of matchstick men work their slimy craft in Los Angeles. We learn every detail of their cons. Too much detail. The characters all smoke, for no apparent reason. We learn the name of the cigarettes. Everyone drinks beer. Yes, we learn the name of the beer. A major plot point is that Roy (Nick Cage) has agoraphobia for which he takes illegally obtained meds. We never learn the name of the medication. In fact, not even Roy knows the name of the medication. He calls the meds "pygmies." How quaint. Director Ridley Scott films at a strip club where dancers wear bikinis. You see, they were going for that PG-13 rating. Brilliant work! Why not film that scene at a beach and avoid any resemblence to a silly network sitcom? Now throw in a 14-year-old daughter Roy knew nothing about. Deadbeat Dad warning ahead? I could go on, but you get the point.
Rating:
Summary: Easily one of the best of 2003...
Review: The story revolves around a couple of small time con men named Roy Waller (Nicholas Cage) and his partner/protege Frank Mercer ( Sam Rockwell). Over the years, they have become very successful pulling small time cons and have put together a very lucrative partnership. Unfortunately, Roy's private life is a mess. He has a obsessive-compulsive disorder and is borderline agorophobic, which is the fear of leaving his home. Due to his profession and personal problems, he has never been able to get close to anyone but his partner Frank, and he is slowly beginning to lose it. When his personal problems begin to spread into his professional life, Roy's partner Frank convinces him to see a psychologist. Unfortunately when Roy ventures into therapy, the doctor brings Roy to the realization that he longs to become closer to his 14 year old daughter that he abadoned at birth. To make matters worse, 14 year old Angela ( Alison Lohman) wants to meet the father she never knew she had. At first, Roy's routine is thrown out of whack by Angela's appearance. But he soon begins to develop a bond with her. Things become even more interesting however, when Angela discovers her father is a con-man, and wants to learn the tricks of the trade. "Matchstick Men" is easily one of the best films of 2003, and one of the best that I have seen overall. Everything about this film is absolutely fantastic. It combines elements of a con artist film with all of the twists and the turns, with a touching and loving story about a father getting to know his daughter. Mixing these two things together provides for a very well rounded story. I have seen many of Nicholas Cage's films, but he gave the best performance of his career in "Matchstick Men". He absolutely nailed every apsect of the character with all of the different ticks and other obsessions. The reason I was so impressed, is because he is able to switch off from being a neurotic mess, to a smooth con-artist very easily. He played both roles great. Alison Lohman was amazing in this film and deserves a lot of credit. She is 25 in real life, and played a 14 year old girl very skillfully. Sam Rockwell also puts in a top notch performance as well. However, the best thing about this film was the ending. I never saw it coming in a million years. Overall, "Matchstick Men" has become one of my favorite films. It was one of the only films that I have ever seen more than once in the theater. The touching relationship between Cage and Lohman, combined with an excellent con-artist story really makes this film enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Simple but clever...Cage shines
Review: This is one of the hardest reviews I have written,because I really don't comprehend why Matchstick Men made me feel the way it did.The plot was simple,the movie was simple (especially for someone like Scott) and the story twists were not incredibly surprising.But the movie made me think about it for days after I saw it,and that is usually a good sign. This is the story of Roy (Cage),a con man with an obsessive compulsive disorder and many other problems.He has been divorced for more than ten years and does not have anyone but his younger partner in crime Frank (Rockwell).However,it is when he find out about his 14 year old daughter,whom he did not even know existed,that things start to get both better and complicated for Roy. Let me begin by saying that I fell in love from the start with Cage's portrayal of Roy.This was the best I have seen him in years.He makes you really feel sympathy for Roy,care about him and believe in him.Alison Lohman was ok too,though I find her a bit disturbing,I don't know why.Rockwell had limited screen time,but made me wish for more.Ridley Scott's directing was felt all the time,made every frame of the movie a picture you can hang on your wall.The color and light usage impressed me especially. For me,matchstick men was going fine until the last quarter,where I'm not sure things went exactly the way I was hoping they would.The cons were not extremely incredible or complicated,the story did not have huge ups and downs and I sat down and enjoyed Cage's performance. Although the ending was satisfactory logically,there was a hollow feeling in my stomach which I can not get rid of whenever I think about this film.The story twist that almost everybody mentioned, is not so unpredictable,but it is better not to try predicting anything if you want to enjoy the movie. If not for anything,the movie is worth seen for the acting and directing,although I'm not sure many people would want to see this movie twice.I give it 5 stars for very subjective reasons,and I will definitely watch it many more times,but you may want to catch this one on tv.
Rating:
Summary: thoroughly enjoyable!
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some movies deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing and acting should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others STORY: Several descriptions of this movie (mostly in the movie trailer) say this is about a neurotic con-artist who discoveres he has a daughter he never knew about. This description is decieving as the movie is much more than that. MY FEEDBACK: 1) CHARACTERS - this had some great characters in it that you can love even though they aren't really "good guys". The characters we grow to love are changed for the better by the end of the movie because of the other characters they interacted with. 2) PLOT - nice unexpected turn of events. The movie moves with such a pace that you get sucked into one or two aspects of it and thus let your defenses down on others...which is great because when the defenses come down you truely get surprised. 3) ACTING - wonderful performances from everyone! Nuff said. 4) ADDITIONAL COMMENTS - there was a scene or two that had me rolling on the floor. My wife and I had to pause just to give us time to catch our breath. OVERALL: I'm tempted to go out and read the book because I enjoyed the writing and acting of this movie so much. Not your typical Ridley Scott flick, but that didn't bother me at all. He chose a very good story and great cast to put together in a well made movie. If you have any hesitation in whether you should watch this or not, don't hesitate. It is totally worth the rental fee or for some the purchase price.
Rating: 
Summary: Transparent Plot
Review: Matchstick Men falls well short of being a good movie. The plot is utterly transparent and there are no surprises. Maybe fifteen mintutes into the movie you will figure out the entire plot, and then you will cease to care about the characters. With the illusion shattered, you will quickly loose interest. The whole movie you hope that it isn't so, but it is. There is a little redemtive arc at the end for Cage's character, but this still leaves the audience feeling empty and unfulfilled. I would only suggest watching this movie if you see it on cable and there is nothing else on, otherwise do not bother buying or renting it.
Rating:
Summary: Ending renders entire movie worthless
Review: The DVD case of this movie cites praise from Roger Ebert and other critics and the plot summary mentions great acting, comedy, and a great plot twist at the end. Thirty minutes into the movie, after we've met all the characters and understand all the situations that the movie is going to cover, the plot twist is incredibly obvious. I watched the whole movie hoping that wouldn't be the case, but it was, and it ruins the movie.
Minor Spoilers below. In Roger Ebert's review of this movie, he writes that the movie has 3 plot points. "It is: (1) the story of a crisis in the life of a man crippled by neurotic obsessions; (2) the story of two con men who happen onto a big score, and (3) the story of a man who meets the teenage daughter he never knew he had, and finds himself trying to care for her. I strongly disagree. This movie is a story of a conman who meets his teenage daughter and tries to care for her and grow close to her. That is all the movie is about. Through getting to know his daughter, she gets involved in some of his cons. But the father/daughter relationship is the center of the movie. The ending of Matchstick Men renders the entire movie meaningless. I'm reminded of Vanilla Sky's ending which showed that Tom Cruise had dreamt the entire movie. Similarly, in Matchstick Men, if nothing before the ending is real, then why should the movie matter, know matter how well it is made. I did think all of the acting was great, especially by Cage and Lohman. I just didn't like the ending at all.
| 
