Movie Notes: Matchstick Men
= 4 stars
Starring Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell
Directed by Ridley Scott
Synopsis
Roy Waller (Nicholas Cage) is a lonely con-man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. His life is complicated further when reunited with his long-lost teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman).
The Good
- Entertaining performance by Cage as wussy Roy — his OCD is largely unessential to the plot, but I let it slide because Cage excels at quirky, odd characters.
- Lohman does a bang-up job as Cage’s daughter, Angela. The actress is actually in her twenties and pulls off approximately fourteen quite well, which is important to the movie in more ways than initially obvious. Their father-daughter relationship is sold through the interactions between her and Cage.
- The almost too simple ending takes place in a carpet store, and very subtly, we learn Cage’s character has moved on, and somehow turned the jarring experience into a positive.
The Bad
- This is one of those “twist” films — and exactly when you catch on can make or break your enjoyment. On second viewing, some of the characters’ behavior seemed clueless and at times stupid.
Conclusion
I liked Matchstick Men when it first came out, but wasn’t sure how it would hold up on a second viewing once the “twist” was known. It held up rather well, as I could focus on the performances by Cage and Lohman. Ultimately, it’s just the story of two lonesome people under unusual circumstances just trying to just get along, and what happens when that relationship is no longer possible. Thumbs up.
IMDB: Matchstick Men
Wikipedia: Matchstick Men
Rotten Tomatoes: Matchstick Men 82%