Feature Review | Welcome To Collinwood
Written by: Brian Orndorf

Life in the small town of Collinwood is hellish, and for some of the citizens, including a single dad photographer (William H. Macy), a smooth operator (Isaiah Washington), a decrepit old man (Michael Jeter), a lonely woman (Patricia Clarkson), and a failed boxer (Sam Rockwell), the only way out is to get their hands on a "belini," or a sure-fire, get rich quick money scheme. A belini comes in the form of a safe located in a run down jewelry warehouse. When the local crooks hatch a plan to retrieve the stashed loot, everything that can go wrong, does.

"Collinwood" is a loose remake of the 1958 French comedy "Big Deal On Madonna Street," but plays a little more in spirit to Woody Allen’s recent "Small Time Crooks," which was also influenced by the Mario Monicelli picture. It’s a screwball comedy that relies heavily on physical comedy and a troupe of actors who can pull off this type of broad material. Written and directed by filmmaking brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, “Collinwood” is a bag of mixed pleasures. The bravado of taking on something this silly is energizing, especially when, to get my silly fix, I’ve been relying on Adam Sandler for years now. But "Collinwood" is oddly strained when it comes to belly laughs. It’s a full on farce, but never builds to feverish comedic frenzy quite the way it has the potential to do.

The pleasures that work in the film are few, but they stand out. This is a terrific ensemble cast, filled with actors who are normally not allowed such opportunities to perform. I really enjoyed how Patricia Clarkson wrapped her nicotine-stained vocal cords around the Russos’ sharply angled dialog, and how William Macy had fun with his father role, always taking his baby along no matter the danger of the situation (far funnier than it reads). Rockwell and Jeter are also better than they normally are. These aren’t the first actors I think of when it comes to wackiness, but they pull it off with a touch of grace.

As oddball as the actors are, nothing quite matches the look of "Collinwood." I’ll dub it "Coen-lite," as the film features the kind of time warp look that Joel and Ethan Coen adore so much. While set in present day, the town of Collinwood looks like some kind of forgotten land from the late 1940s, complete with black and white striped prison uniforms straight from a Cagney picture, and the dialog is peppered with hipster speak (need to get out of prison? Well then, you’ll need a “mullinsky“) that exists only in the movies. It’s a heightened, stylish reality for the film to exist in, and it adds to the fun of the experience.

The film takes about 20 minutes to fully warm up, and if the laughs start coming after that, then you should be safe. I can’t say "Welcome To Collinwood" is a gut-busting joy, but the potential of the film is more than enough merit a lukewarm recommendation.

Grade: 6 out of 10     

COMMENTS
Date/Time of Posting:  Oct 18 2002 / 05:17:23
IP Address:  24.154.91.83
comments = 'Collinwood' looks like a fun time and it was shot in the Cleveland area, where I live, so I'd like to see it soon. If only it would get a nice wide release... :-/