Mr. Undercover (2001)

Mr. Undercover: Directed by Rob Pritts. With Chris Kattan, Vinessa Shaw, Peter Falk, Peter Berg. The loser son of a Mafia honcho must go undercover for the FBI.

“Probably the only thing that got the movie up to a four for me is the fact that I love Peter Falk. One of the worldu0026#39;s great portrayers of bumbling incompetence . . . and yet he is one of the only anchors that prevents this from being a chaotic disaster. As Pops Romano, he provides a respectable mix of gangster charm and straight man to Chris Kattanu0026#39;s manic foolishness. Respectable performances are also offered by Richard Roundtree as the harried boss, Vinessa Shaw as a talented female FBI agent bouncing her head off a glass ceiling and Fred Ward as Falku0026#39;s advisor and Benedict Arnold.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot concept actually has some wonderful possibilities and, in the hands of a young Steve Martin or Chevy Chase, could have proved a great comedic vehicle. Kattan, who seems to idolize Ernest or Pee Wee Herman, just provides a muddled mess. Sadly, Peter Berg and Chris Penn, who portray his misfit brothers, both fall far short of their proven capability.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are some very funny scenes, but they are far too few and separated by way too many boring ones. What I truly miss here is what always attracted me to the Leslie Neilsen movies. There is no u0026#39;second levelu0026#39; of wit riding over the slapstick. No cultural references that only the adults get. . no double entendre. . it is just silly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd, by the way, this doesnu0026#39;t all mean that I am recommending it for your 9-year-old, because hopefully they have better taste and less fascination with some of their body parts and their functions.”