Oscar (1991)

Oscar was Sylvester Stallone's agreeable, 1991 effort at broad comedy, a fast-talking, suspender-snapping gangster farce featuring the Rambo star as a 1930s Chicago mob boss, Snaps Provolone, trying to go straight during overlapping personal crises. No, this isn't Billy Wilder, but director John Landis (Coming to America) has crackling fun with Oscar's fruit salad of traditional comic themes and tools, including mistaken identities, a powerful man's weakness for his children, and a nonstop parade of outre secondary characters. The cast includes Kirk Douglas as Stallone's father, whose deathbed wish compels Snaps to go into legitimate banking at the exact moment the latter's daughter (Marisa Tomei) announces her love for a chauffeur. Meanwhile, another woman claiming to be Snaps's offspring is engaged to a fellow (Vincent Spano) who has stolen $50,000 of the big man's money. Wackiness ensues. The winning cast includes Peter Riegert, Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, Eddie Bracken, Harry Shearer, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Bruce Davison. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Oscar

This is a brillant movie, the best ever done by Silvester Stallone, very involved and funny. 10/10 October 2, 2008

"You mugs stop calling me boss - it ain't respectable!"

Okay, I do think that Sly has managed to produce two fairly good comedies in his career (and we'll just ignore the mind-numbingly disastrous STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT, shall we?). Surprisingly, I enjoyed Rhinestone for Sly's fish-out-of-water turn as a country singer-in-training. And the gangster farce OSCAR is actually one of my favorite Stallone flicks. I don't know how many folks have heard of OSCAR (I'm betting, not many), but it sure slipped way under the radar when it came out back in '91. I'm thinking people were probably turned off because it featured Sly in something other than the expected action adventure genre. Well, people missed out, because OSCAR is hilarious.

OSCAR is based on the 1967 French comedy classic of the same name, that one starring the brilliant Louis de Funes. Check that one out, too, if you get the chance. But, in this American version, the year is 1931, deep in the days of the Depression and Prohibition, and Chicago mobster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone is about to mend his ways (he'd promised on his father's deathbed). OSCAR takes place mostly in Snaps's opulent mansion and covers one very chaotic morning in Snaps's life. This is the day when Snaps officially goes straight, you see, as he's about to smoothly transition into the banking business. But, to follow in the screwball comedy tradition, it just ain't that easy. Not when he has to face a thieving accountant (his own), a pregnant daughter (who's not pregnant), another girl passing herself off as his daughter, confused henchmen, bewildered FBI agents, lost loves, and three frustrating black bags who seemingly have minds of their own. Man, some days, it's just really hard to quit the thuggery business...

Note: For the curious, by the way, Oscar is the name of the much absent chauffer who used to work for Snaps. He's not much in the movie.

The secret, I think, is that OSCAR doesn't put too much pressure on Stallone to carry the entire load. The bit characters are wonderful and are allowed many opportunities to grab the spotlight comedically. Too many supporting actors to mention, but stand-outs are Peter Riegert and Chazz Palminteri, who simply kill it as Sly's henchmen, Tim Curry as the Henry Higgins-like elocution guru, and Harry Shearer and Martin Ferrero as the meek Finucci Brothers. Stallone is pretty much relegated to a straight man role, although he does induce a share of the laughs. Sly is often times caught in reaction mode as the much put-upon master of his domain, so there's plenty of that thing at which John Wayne used to excel later in his career, which is delivering those martyred slow burns and blustery double takes. Early in the film, on the verge of hearing some unpleasant news, Snaps Provolone mutters: "This doesn't bode well." Thankfully, for us, the reformed hoodlum was right.

There's a lot going on in this film, plot wise; you do have to keep your eyeballs stuck on the screen, or you're bound to miss a curve or a gag. OSCAR tries for that 1930s screwball type of rhythm and nuttiness, and mostly achieves it (Riegert is particularly good with his lines). Also lending to that feel are the Damon Runyonesque names which pop up (Snaps Provolone, Johnny Elbows, Louis "the Lug" McGurk, etc.). The movie feels a bit like a busy stage play in the sense that most of the scenes take place in Snaps' digs, with lots of doors opening and closing and the harried Stallone going up and down the stairs, and giving the illusion of constantly being in motion.

Really, give this one a try. I think you'll like it and you'll laugh quite a bit. And near the end, don't be too surprised if you find yourself grinning amiably as one of Snaps' less plank-headed henchmen proclaims: "This day has been an emotional rollercoaster." September 11, 2008

This Movie Rocked!

This was a witty, fun movie. See Sylvester Stallone and Marissa Tomei at their best! I have watched this movie again and again! I highly reccomend this movie to anyone looking for a good time! September 6, 2008

Hysterical!!!

Sylvester Stallone gets alot of undue criticism in my opinion; & I think anyone who has been a "Sly Basher" in the past, will quickly change their tune after watching this hilarious movie; Sly is brilliant in his portrayal of a gangster trying to go straight to fulfill the dying wish of his father. If my dvd's kept track of how often they were watched, this one would definately be in the top 5. Give Stallone another chance & watch this movie! September 5, 2008

Picture This

1931 New York City.....deep in the heart of not only Prohibition but the great depression as well. "Spats" Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) promises his dying father (Kirk Douglas) that he will leave his life as a gangster and become an honest man. And that's where the fun starts! It's good clean fun with a very talented cast, inluding Stallone, Marisa Tomei, Yvonne DeCarlo, Don Ameche and Kirk Douglas. August 27, 2008

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