The teaming of Michael Caine and Steve Martin might not sound so good on paper, but they have some conflicted chemistry here as a pair of con men in a contest to see who can outfox and send the other on their way. Without knowing the earlier provenance, I thought Caine's portrayal and looks made him a reliable stand-in for a David Niven picture, only to learn that Niven himself was in the original version of this story when it was made more than two decades earlier as "Bedtime Story". As for his unwelcome partner, Steve Martin co-stars in a role Marlon Brando had in the earlier film, which now that I know about it, I'll have to satisfy my curiosity.
Though the story has its comedic moments, I've never been thrilled with Martin's overwrought mugging and silliness as demonstrated by his performance as Lawrence Jamieson's (Caine) phony brother Ruprecht. The bathroom gag was a decidedly low point in the story for this viewer. For some reason, the filmmakers didn't bother to explain some very dubious plot holes, like how Jamieson knew the made-up name of Freddy Benson's (Martin) psychiatrist, Dr. Schuffhausen, much less show up as the doctor himself when their intended swindle, Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly) became part of the grift. There was also that mysterious umbrella that popped up on the beach later in the story when Freddy tried to woo Janet - where did that come from?
For all the shenanigans employed by Jamieson and Benson, the picture's twist is one to relish after Ms. Colgate turns the tables on the finagling duo. The closing scene had a bit of "Casablanca" flavor with the forming of what I would guess to be a beautiful friendship. I don't know about Bogart, but I'm sure Claude Rains would agree.
Though the story has its comedic moments, I've never been thrilled with Martin's overwrought mugging and silliness as demonstrated by his performance as Lawrence Jamieson's (Caine) phony brother Ruprecht. The bathroom gag was a decidedly low point in the story for this viewer. For some reason, the filmmakers didn't bother to explain some very dubious plot holes, like how Jamieson knew the made-up name of Freddy Benson's (Martin) psychiatrist, Dr. Schuffhausen, much less show up as the doctor himself when their intended swindle, Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly) became part of the grift. There was also that mysterious umbrella that popped up on the beach later in the story when Freddy tried to woo Janet - where did that come from?
For all the shenanigans employed by Jamieson and Benson, the picture's twist is one to relish after Ms. Colgate turns the tables on the finagling duo. The closing scene had a bit of "Casablanca" flavor with the forming of what I would guess to be a beautiful friendship. I don't know about Bogart, but I'm sure Claude Rains would agree.