vchimpanzee 10. We know this movie takes place sometime in the past because cigarettes are advertised, and people smoke, in a movie theater. Pauline is a beautiful blonde who is dressed for prom, but she goes to the theater.  Several rows behind her is Leon Redbone (okay, Leon's clothes are white, but the man does look a lot like him), with an attractive woman who doesn't compare to Pauline. The man dressed like Leon Redbone, whose name is Eddie, meets Pauline outside, where she is smoking, and she tells him the woman in the movie should have left the man because the man was a criminal. Eddie disagrees but later in the movie admits he'd like to be like the man in the movie.9. Eddie owes Roy money, and when Roy wants something, he sends big goons to get it. The girl from the theater won't help him any more. Eddie's furniture store is not successful. There is one solution.8. ... Okay, I lost track of what the numbers meant. Just know that by the end of the movie we have counted down to 1. Eddie meets Pauline and starts spending time with her. This means she sits in his '66 Ford LTD while Eddie goes inside with a fake gun and hands the teller a note. The money from one robbery isn't enough to keep Roy's goons away, so Eddie can't stop with just one robbery. He is always quite polite, though not charming like John Stamos, which is the impression various tellers give on the TV news.  He's actually somewhere between socially awkward and mentally ill. The tellers are usually calm. One blonde girl is so pretty and so nice. And then there is the quirky and very friendly Sue, who I immediately recognized as Kate Micucci of "Raising Hope". Later, when one man who says he is a Mormon makes the situation more difficult, and the poor teller with him ends up traumatized, but that's the only really bad incident.The cops seem incapable of stopping these robberies. They don't know just what to do. So they keep happening. Eddie Dodson becomes a legend.One thing I don't understand: the listings with my TiVo said this movie was based on fact, and yet the closing credits include the statement that it is a work of fiction.Occasionally this movie is funny,  and I'm sure it was supposed to be. But it's not quite a comedy. It's also not the wild and wacky adventure I expected from the description. It's still somewhat fun to watch, and Micucci is cute.Jim Sturgess does a good enough job as the lead. If he wasn't supposed to be a John Stamos type, then I would say he succeeded.Several clueless bimbos hang out with Eddie, but they are played by respected, big-name actresses. I guess that's okay. There are other quirky characters in the night clubs and other hangouts where Eddie goes. One of the detectives seems intelligent enough, so I wonder why the cops can't seem to do anything. I don't remember the detective's name and I can't see any clue in the credits. But it was a good performance, whoever it was.I think this was worth seeing.

Susan Bayre I am not often given to writing reviews. Often with bad films, I take the Zen view that the director/actors tried and, heck, it didn't work out so I would let it be.But this film grated on me so much that this deserves a viewer sanity health warning. None of the characters make much sense (hence one is frustrated by their inane, illogical actions) and for certain none of them have any charm. Especially not Jim Sturgess, an annoying apology of an actor who wouldn't be able to inspire a blind lady on a walking frame to use his help cross the road, even if she wanted to. Isabel Lucas wasted her time looking vacuous and pointless to the point where she manages to convince the viewer that she must be, ultimately, a little brain-dead. And this is the only movie where a crime boss lets an admitted defaulter off 3 times without any form of punishment other than some stern words. You get the realism now?My husband stayed till the end and informed me that the ending was as sappy and meaningless as the rest of the movie. I had left after the so- called bank robberies to watch a proper movie on my iPad in the car park. Yes, this movie is *that* bad.

Knox D Alford III (knoxiii) I enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. The cast had some of my favorites with Patrica Arquette (True Romance), Chloe Sevigny, Vinessa Shaw & a relative newcomer, Isabel Lucas. Isabel was so gorgeous in her role, I found myself asking the age old question, "Who's that girl?". The male lead was a slime ball with good intentions, and he was based on a true character, a biography of sorts. A cool aspect of the movie is the countdown from 10 to 1 splashed across the screen between vignettes. It is a single story but this effect builds intensity & suspense. The supporting cast was woman after woman, all beautiful. One tip I will gladly share is to turn the volume up because the male lead is consistently mumbling. It could for a number of reasons (to look cool?), but none justified it. It was a most entertaining movie to be sure. I rate it 7/10 stars because it was interesting which made it engaging which made it memorable. It was an exciting biopic, allowing the viewer to live vicariously through the characters. Knox D. Alford, III

mac-ginty Dodson owns a furniture store and aspires to a glamorous lifestyle he cannot afford. He borrows money from the bank and then a loan shark. As repayment pressures mount he resorts to bank robbing to fund his debts. He also teams up with a vacant blonde who likes to spout movie dialogue rather than talk with real feeling and their love story is a meaningless sidebar. The problem for me is Dodson is an unlikable man, he steals from friends and wants things without working for them. Sturgess portrays Dodson as ineffectual rather than charismatic which leaves you wondering why the bank tellers he robbed all liked him. I felt no emotional attachment to any of the characters.The score also misses a trick opting to use generic synth music rather than some of the definitive 80s tunes. Its a stylish enough film but has no emotional core. The period is evoked sufficiently to feel like a period set piece. Could have been better with the talent involved.