A Masterpiece!

A lot of fun.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Things Change, 1988 *Spoiler/plot- The mob need a patsy to help in a mob murder. The mob gunman takes the patsy wants a special trip to enjoy his life before he needs to do his job for the mob boss.*Special Stars- Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky, William H. Macy, WRITER- David Mamet.*Theme- Honesty solves most foreseen problems.*Trivia/location/goofs- Was Don Ameche's last role on film to end his great career.*Emotion- A wonderfully charming film full of great developed characters and great with many sensible plot twists. Very satisfying and fulfilling.*Based On- Mob dealings of the time.

Most of us come from families who came from the old country with practically nothing. Naturally, our grandparents worked from dawn to dusk to survive in the new land and make a better life for the kids. It was the generations that followed that caught the American disease of wanting to become a "somebody" as a substitute for the integrity of the Old World that was left behind. The paradox of this film, the paradox of achieving "the American Dream", of "building this great nation" is that after all the generations of struggle for position, money, and importance, we wake up and realize that it's all empty, that simple integrity and friendship are all that mean anything, that our fore-fathers had that in the beginning.It has been said that in order to save one's life one must loose it....

Obviously, by my rating, you know I love this film. It is a desert island disc.I read the other reviews and have some comments. These are not criticisms of others criticisms or accolades, just my own thoughts after having seen the movie so many times.Having never been in the mafia myself (and I suspect that none of the other people rating this movie have been either), I find this work consistent with our cinematic understanding of the mafia. First of all, if the mafia does ask you for a favor which it thinks is fair sounding and you decline, depending upon the favor asked, security may demand that you be silenced (killed). Secondly, our cinematic understanding of the mafia also says that very few people, even in the mafia, truly know who, as it is put in the movie 'the man behind the man behind the man' might be. So, when the hotel staff and low level mafia flunkies (hooray for the blond WHM!) at the other end of the country, who are expecting to meet people they don't know, accept DA as someone very important, this is realistic. And with such a classic mafia stereotype as JM's character as front man, DA as shoe shine turned mafioso really sells. After all, DA is Italian and distinguished looking... as well as very old school. As for DA's new mafia friend, it is quite clear in the movie that the luck and skill of DA's character actually traversed some very high barriers to survive and flourish in the situation.While the premise of the circumstance of the ending may be predictable (I don't want to give it away), the actual final actions and outcome are definitely not expected.As for comparison to Mamet's other works, stage and screen, perhaps this isn't his "best." But in terms of appeal, it reaches many more people than most of his work... and in such a pleasing way without being daft. Entertainment and emotional appeal are not vices, even for Mamet.And just because a movie makes you smile and laugh, that doesn't make it a comedy... merely comedic. This is a dark drama, a human study, and features friendship and betrayal. Perhaps the comedic and light-hearted aspects are merely the glue that holds this piece so well together. The glue may be on the surface, but that doesn't mean it doesn't function here. Frankly, I absolutely love House of Games, but a little more comedic treatment might have even improved that masterpiece. One can like Mamet and like smiling as well.

This is a quiet, enjoyable film with Mantegna playing Mantegna, the nervy, edgy man who thinks he is smarter than everyone else but needs to go back to school for a few more lessons. He is saved by Ameche, a little man who plays a fool to get by in a dangerous world, never letting anyone know if it is an act or real. He lets the cat out of the bag in the bath house scene, when he opens his mouth and out comes this magnificent version of "Return to me" but in Italian.The film has one problem once the pair arrive in Tahoe, Mantegna passing the gentle shoe shine man off as a Capo. It's quite funny to watch everyone bow and scrape in those scenes from the arrival at the airport until they settle into their suite, but after that Mamet has a problem. Where do he go from here? The ending is predictable, but any other would have chased patrons out of the theater in anger.