Rating: 
Summary: The best comedy of the 1990's!
Review: The Imposters is a classic farce. The film is not only hilarious, but also packed with talented actors. (I haven't seen this many cameo's since The Muppet Movie.) Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt play two umeployed actors in New York during the 1920's. They accidently become stow-aways on a classy ocean liner. Not only are they stow-aways, but a rival actor on the boat is out to destroy them. The comedy in this movie is not only brilliant, but extremely entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: charming screwball comedy
Review: the imposters sneaks up on the heels of the BIG NIGHT, WITH TUCCI AND CO. PROVIDING 1998 AUDIENCES WITH A CHARMING SCREWBALL COMEDY. THE SUPPORTING CAST AND THE OCEANLINER SETTING IS A MARX BROTHERS INSPIRE TOUCH. ISABELLA AS USUAL PLAYS A GREAT SUPPORTTING PART. THIS MOVIE SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
Rating:
Summary: AN INSPIRED FARCE
Review: The opening scenes for The Imposters are some of the most sublime I've seen in recent years. They play like a silent comedy, with melodramatic classical music on the soundtrack. The opening credits alone make this film worth owning. And although The Imposters never truly lives up to those scenes it remains constantly funny and unique(in these days of ironic self referential teen comedies). I would have prefered it if our two main heroes had never gotten on a ship, its too limiting for the scope that had been suggested by the early New York scenes. But that should not be enough to deter you from this film. Where else would you meet a drunken Hamlet(Alfred Molina), a gay Scottish wrestler (Billy Connely), a suicudal singer named Happy Franks(the always ace Steve Buscemi) among a host of other bizarre creatures. This is like those overrated comedies of the 1940s except its funny and beautiful to look at. Which brings me to the art direction of this movie, which looks a lot like the wonderful Bullets Over Broadway. Infact The Imposters is a lot like that film but with the comedy played much broader. I previously watched Stanley Tucci's fantastic gastronomical delight Big Night(5 STARS), while this film is not quite that good, I am now officialy a fan of his and await his next offering Joe Gould's Secret when it comes out here. Admittedly this film is not for all tastes, but here's is way you can find out if its you kind of movie. There is a cameo in this film by the king of the neourotic New York comedy, if you can't guess who that is then this film is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Ship of Fools? Ship of Farce!
Review: The original title would have served the audience a little better, although the 40 minutes of set-up takes place in the Big City. That's fine... the set-up is wonderful. The few folks who gave such poor reviews would have understood much better what they were in for. A friend of mine describes this film as "a feast of overacting". Clearly a compliment, especially if you saw him say it... he grins from ear-to-ear and almost cracks up with the mere mention of the title. I remember (the beautiful and talented) Isabella Rossellini on Late Night With Conan O'Brien talking about The Impostors. According to her, director Stanley Tucci urged the cast to ham it up and offered a weekly contest... each week whoever over-acted the most would win the Golden Ham award. Isabella was proud to say she was one of the winners (and you can tell which scene it is for). Oliver Reed must be rolling over in his grave that he couldn't have been in the picture. Each successive scene is more zany than the last. From the brilliantly executed opening credits (which could be a great short film) to the chases in the bar to the wacky character introductions to the closing credits (the actors leaving the film studio whilst dancing) the film is an absolute treasure. Just when you think it cannot get any sillier... it does. Of course, all these great reviews (not to mention my obvious gushing) might leave you expecting much more. Don't get carried away with the reviews... just think of the very British television farce Fawlty Towers. If you liked that you'll probably love The Impostors. This isn't a clever and witty little film... and it *never* attempts to be anything other than a cute and silly little comedy. That said I walked out of the theater gasping for air and in pain from laughing so much. At the current Amazon price...it's an absolute steal.
Rating:
Summary: Ship of Fools? Ship of Farce!
Review: The original title would have served the audience a little better, although the 40 minutes of set-up takes place in the Big City. That's fine... the set-up is wonderful. The few folks who gave such poor reviews would have understood much better what they were in for. A friend of mine describes this film as "a feast of overacting". Clearly a compliment, especially if you saw him say it... he grins from ear-to-ear and almost cracks up with the mere mention of the title. I remember (the beautiful and talented) Isabella Rossellini on Late Night With Conan O'Brien talking about The Impostors. According to her, director Stanley Tucci urged the cast to ham it up and offered a weekly contest... each week whoever over-acted the most would win the Golden Ham award. Isabella was proud to say she was one of the winners (and you can tell which scene it is for). Oliver Reed must be rolling over in his grave that he couldn't have been in the picture. Each successive scene is more zany than the last. From the brilliantly executed opening credits (which could be a great short film) to the chases in the bar to the wacky character introductions to the closing credits (the actors leaving the film studio whilst dancing) the film is an absolute treasure. Just when you think it cannot get any sillier... it does. Of course, all these great reviews (not to mention my obvious gushing) might leave you expecting much more. Don't get carried away with the reviews... just think of the very British television farce Fawlty Towers. If you liked that you'll probably love The Impostors. This isn't a clever and witty little film... and it *never* attempts to be anything other than a cute and silly little comedy. That said I walked out of the theater gasping for air and in pain from laughing so much. At the current Amazon price...it's an absolute steal.
Rating:
Summary: "To life--and its many deaths."
Review: The trailer for The Imposters is shameful--it in no way indicates the freshness, the subtlety, and the hilarity of one of Stanley Tucci's efforts (on the heels of Big Night and preceding Joe Gould's Secret). I long put off watching this movie simply because the trailer was so overdone. Thanks to a two-fer offer at the nearby Hasting's video store, however, I took the chance and rented it. Being the bourgeosie pig that I am (a trait pointed out to me by one of the movie's Leninist characters), I reveled in the European settings, the Twenties-era costuming and tunes, and the general lushness of the surroundings. But unlike most aesthetic efforts, in The Imposters the clothes and the backdrops and the jingles are pleasant but not distracting. As a review piece in Vanity Fair toasted, "Long may they Charleston." From the very first scene, Tucci and Platt--two starving actors who constantly practice their craft in public, at home and ultimately on a cruise ship where they've accidentally stowed away--are funny and sharp and never boring. Their misadventures in conning a bakery chef out of some goodies, badmouthing the star of a local production of Hamlet, hiding from the cops on an ocean liner and uncovering numerous nefarious murder plots are punctuated by momentary examples of Tucci and Platt as two truly decent guys and good friends. Tucci's work here more than validates his past appointment as a spokesperson at Sundance. Rarely have I seen two male film characters whose friendship doesn't rot into misogyny (In the Company of Men) or just plain ugliness and evil (Very Bad Things, Your Friends and Neighbors). Tucci as a screenwriter does not appear to tap into those veins, thank God.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun.
Review: There are certain films that sometimes don't appeal to a mass audience because so much of the humor is directed to a narrow audience that many people just cannot appreciate the full range of wit. It's not the audience's fault, people don't always enjoy something they don't understand. Nor is it always the filmmakers's fault, sometimes they err in believing the audience knows more than they actually do. I often find myself enjoying these films, but not always fully appreciating them until sometime later when a refrence is made clear to me. It's like "The Simpsons", a lot of the jokes only a very small minorty of the audience is going to pick up on. Thus is the case with THE IMPOSTERS. THE IMPOSTERS is a delightful and charming little film that is full of wit and humor and proves for an entertaing 100 minutes of movie viewing. However, there are a lot of people who just won't understand the movie. The film stars Stanly Tucci and Oliver Platt as two unemployed actors who after insulting a world-famous "bad" actor, find themselves stowaways on a cruise ship bound for Paris. Tucci and Platt are a great comic team and I hope to see them work together in several projects to come. However, much of the movie is a tribute to the comic genius of Laurel and Hardy (a classic duo that lies in the realm of oblivion of the modern mass paradigm) and the Marx Brothers (a classic comic group that most people believe to be related to that guy named Lenin and thereby, should be avoided) two groups of genius which modern audiences just don't appreciate. Also, much of the humor of the film only appeals to those who have experience in the entertainment business (who else can fully appreciate the "making faces" scene or the humor in literally acting to stay alive) and makes a lot of the humor inaccessible to a wider audience. With all that said, the film is still a delight to watch. Enjoy the film for what it is and in a few months you may find yourself chuckling at an obscure reference you just got.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Little Comedy
Review: This comedy should have been great. Actually, it starts wonderfully, with Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt playing unemployed actors during the Depression-era, and the opening credits show a brilliant Laurel and Hardy-like silent comedy. Then, the film traces their struggle to keep their heads above water, with assorted episodes of their life, one of which include a big surprise cameo of W.A. who plays a henpecked stage director. So far, everything is really great. Then "The Impostors" gradually loses its power though it never fails to be charming. The pair go to see one of the most terrible stage of Hamlet (done by Alfred Molina), and after being mistaken for criminal for assaulting this ham, they accidentally find themselved on the ocean line leaving for Paris. On this ship, Tucci and Pratt meet many, many strange characters. I only cite the names of actors: Steve Buscemi (as suicidal 'Happy' Frank, who entertains us with crooning), Isabella Rossellini, Lili Taylor, Cambell Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Billy Connolly, Hope Davis and others. The star/director Stanley Tucci is always amusing with manic turns, and so is Pratt, but the screwball comedy situaltion which directors like Ernst Lutbisch was good at needs quite a sophisticated and tightly-woven script. "The Impostors" doesn't have that, and as the film nears to the end, it becomes more like a farce, which itself is not bad, and I like that kind of comdey, but the lack of polished story is painfully obvious when we see Connolly plays a tennis pro (and Greek) whose character is based on now hackneyed gay jokes. "The Impostors" is not a bad film. It shows intelligence of the director, and there are some brilliant moments. But it stops short before the lofty aim of ressurrecting the old-style comedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Laurel & Hardy Meets Lubitsch, But It Somehow Doesn't Work
Review: This comedy should have been great. Actually, it starts wonderfully, with Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt playing unemployed actors during the Depression-era, and the opening credits show a brilliant Laurel and Hardy-like silent comedy. Then, the film traces their struggle to keep their heads above water, with assorted episodes of their life, one of which include a big surprise cameo of W.A. who plays a henpecked stage director. So far, everything is really great. Then "The Impostors" gradually loses its power though it never fails to be charming. The pair go to see one of the most terrible stage of Hamlet (done by Alfred Molina), and after being mistaken for criminal for assaulting this ham, they accidentally find themselved on the ocean line leaving for Paris. On this ship, Tucci and Pratt meet many, many strange characters. I only cite the names of actors: Steve Buscemi (as suicidal 'Happy' Frank, who entertains us with crooning), Isabella Rossellini, Lili Taylor, Cambell Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Billy Connolly, Hope Davis and others. The star/director Stanley Tucci is always amusing with manic turns, and so is Pratt, but the screwball comedy situaltion which directors like Ernst Lutbisch was good at needs quite a sophisticated and tightly-woven script. "The Impostors" doesn't have that, and as the film nears to the end, it becomes more like a farce, which itself is not bad, and I like that kind of comdey, but the lack of polished story is painfully obvious when we see Connolly plays a tennis pro (and Greek) whose character is based on now hackneyed gay jokes. "The Impostors" is not a bad film. It shows intelligence of the director, and there are some brilliant moments. But it stops short before the lofty aim of ressurrecting the old-style comedy.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly funny.
Review: This is a great, goodhearted comedy, with brilliant comedic work by just about the whole cast--though Oliver Platt and Steve Buscemi stand out for me. (See Platt in the bakery scene and Buscemi onstage.) The setup: Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt are two hapless, out-of-work actors who find themselves on the lam on a cruise ship, where numerous intrigues and misunderstandings are under way. These secondary stories eventually get entangled and lead to a madcap ending. The first half is stronger than the second, but there are classic moments throughout. I hope this ensemble continues to work together, especially the comedy-writing duo of Tucci/Scott, who are both so adept at playing out absurd moments of miscommunication. If they do, it could really rejuvenate the spirit of comedy.
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