Stealing Sinatra (2003)

Stealing Sinatra: Directed by Ron Underwood. With David Arquette, William H. Macy, James Russo, Ryan Browning. In need of a grubstake, a young man convinces a couple of friends to help him kidnap Frank Sinatra Jr. It’s a true story.

“Sinatra: u0026quot;What do you want? A million dollars?u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKidnapper: u0026quot;Thatu0026#39;s not going to do it. We want $240 thousand.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLOLu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Stealing Sinatrau0026quot; is a quiet little comedy about a bunch of dimwits trying to pull off a heist thatu0026#39;s way out of their league. As straightforward entertainment, itu0026#39;s interesting u0026amp; funny enough to keep you amused from start to finish. But for my money, I enjoyed it on a deeper level that tells the story of Americau0026#39;s impending loss of innocence in the mid 60s following the single greatest wake up slap of the 20th century: the public assassination of President JFK. (And soon after, the public assassination of his accused assassin.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut that would come later. This movie is a clever snapshot of American life on the verge of a serious reality check. There are no bullet-blazing gun battles, no violent beatings and splashes of blood across the screen, no dark gritty angst and political subversion. The main criminal mastermind doesnu0026#39;t even curse (aside from hissing u0026quot;oh… sugar!u0026quot; when things go afoul). By todayu0026#39;s standards, this would be the most boring caper ever. But thatu0026#39;s precisely what makes it so interesting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDavid Arquette is perfect as u0026quot;Barryu0026quot;, the criminal mastermind who looks like heu0026#39;d be more natural selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. William H. Macy is also perfectly cast as u0026quot;Mr. Irwinu0026quot; the confused, fatherly voice of reason, alternately dishing out Confucian wisdom and coaching Barry on how to be a better criminal. The supporting characters, Ryan Browning as criminal #3 u0026quot;Joeu0026quot;, Thomas Ian Nicholas as the young deer-in-the- headlights kidnappee u0026quot;Sinatra Jr.u0026quot; and of course a very convincing James Russo as Old Blue Eyes himself, make this a real treat to watch.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike I said, donu0026#39;t expect a crime caper thrill ride of any sort. While there are some good suspenseful moments, the real attraction of this film is in its subtle, humorous portrayal of American innocence, even in the midst of a felony. A unique cross between u0026quot;Suicide Kingsu0026quot; and u0026quot;The Brady Bunchu0026quot;, this is a very human story that could practically serve as a cultural document… if anyone cared. As the opening titles go: u0026quot;In 1963, an event happened that rocked the nation. This is not that event. But it really did happen.u0026quot;”