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Double Whammy
2001
Ray Pluto and Jerry Cubbins are New York City homicide detectives well endowed with comic possibilities. Recent events have led to Pluto being pegged as something of a wiseass. In truth, he hasn't been himself since the tragic death of his wife and child and finds solace by smoking a little hash and watching "Fitness Cheer," a .. Read more
| Starring | Denis Leary, Elizabeth Hurley, Steve Buscemi, Luis Guzman |
|---|---|
| Director | Tom DiCillo |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Double Whammy
Ray Pluto and Jerry Cubbins are New York City homicide detectives well endowed with comic possibilities. Recent events have led to Pluto being pegged as something of a wiseass. In truth, he hasn't been himself since the tragic death of his wife and child and finds solace by smoking a little hash and watching "Fitness Cheer," a bubbly exercise show with scantily clad cheerleaders. While Pluto is getting lunch one day, a vicious gunman bursts in and Pluto is presented with the perfect opportunity to regain some self-respect. But instead, Pluto's back goes into a spasm and he drops his gun, allowing six-year-old "little Ricky Kapinski" to save the day. The press goes wild. DiCillo has a knack for assembling an eclectic group of actors and putting them in the most compromising situations. Pluto's apartment building is a flurry of crazy activity.
| Starring | Denis Leary, Elizabeth Hurley, Steve Buscemi, Luis Guzman, Victor Argo |
|---|---|
| Director | Tom DiCillo |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK VIDEO RENTAL |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 40 mins Watch now: 1 hr 40 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: , Watch Online: |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English Watch Online: English |
| Released | DVD: 10 Nov 2003 Watch now: 08 Apr 2009 Production year: 2001 |
| Watch now | Subscribe and watch this as part of an unlimited package. |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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The usual quirky charm of writer/director Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion, Box of Moonlight) deserts him in this grating comedy. Denis Leary gives a typically one-note performance as the cop whose debilitating back problem scuppers an attempt at heroism and makes him the laughing stock of New York, while a decorative Elizabeth Hurley plays his chiropractor (and love interest) in a way that suggests her comic assurance in Austin Powers was something of a fluke. DiCillo's ability to create droll supporting characters also comes unstuck with an obvious and unfunny subplot about a pair of budding screenwriters who are concocting a Tarantino-style movie. The film's dramatic ambitions, involving the brutal murder of one of Leary's neighbours, are similarly ineffectual. A total misfire from start to finish.
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Shambolic cop Ray Pluto (Leary) is having a bad week. First, he's incapacitated during a burger bar hold-up, then he... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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15 out of 15 people found this review helpful
Ok...ish
I managed to get to the end and parts of it did make me smile if not laugh. You get the feeling that it could have been better and funnier if they hadn't tried to fit so much into a short movie. It shows potential but ultimately disappoints.
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Most recent members' review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
A dreadful, pointless comedy
Writer-director Tom DiCillo made a splash on the independant cinema scene with his clever comedy 'Living in Oblivion'. He then failed to live up to that promise with a couple of films that were, at best, fitfully amusing. However, he seems to have lost the plot completely with 'Double Whammy'. This is simply awful.
Grouchy detective Ray Pluto(Denis Leary) is humiliated when his back gives way during a massacre in a fast-food restaurant, leading to an eight year-old to shoot the bad guy and steal the glory. At the recommendation of his partner(Steve Buscemi) he starts to visit a sexy chiropractor(Elizabeth Hurley) and is given a chance to redeem himself by solving a case involving his neighbour Juan(Luis Guzman, typecast).
In the meantime DiCillo passes the time with a subplot involving two Tarantino wannabees and another involving Juan's daughter.
Can DiCillo pull these strands into a coherent narrative? Unfortunately not, and it's torturous to watch him try. The half-baked screenplay is cliched and precictable from the off and the occasional bursts of violence sit uneasily with the comic tone(six people are killed in the supposedly 'hilarious' opening).
The cast do the best they can with their scraps of character. Denis Leary is always watchable and his gruff, sarcastic attitude milks a few laughs. As ever, Elizabeth Hurley is fine until she opens her mouth; at which point she is acted off the screen by most of the furniture in the room. She hardly makes for a convincing chiropractor and the chemistry between her and Leary is negligible. The normally wonderful Buscemi and Guzman make such little impact it's barely worth mention.
Whatever happened to DiCillo? This shows none of the wit, flair, satirical intent or intelligence that he displayed earlier in his career. Even the dialogue(normally DiCillo's strongest asset) is dismal.
Seemingly edited by a blind man with a pair of shears, the narrative is incoherent and uninvolving. Everyone seems to be sleepwalking their way through it and DiCillo wraps the whole thing up in embarrassingly double-quick time, leaving a number of subplots and characters dangling hopelessly.
A terrible mess from a once bright talent. -
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Double Whammy
Ray Pluto and Jerry Cubbins are New York City homicide detectives well endowed with comic possibilities. Recent events have led to Pluto being pegged as something of a wiseass. In truth, he hasn't been himself since the tragic death of his wife and child and finds solace by smoking a little hash ...
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