Matchstick Men reviews (2003)

Matchstick Men

2003

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

from 27,139 members

Meet Roy and Frank, a couple of professional small-time con artists. What Roy, a veteran of the grift, and Frank, his ambitious protégé, are swindling these days are "water filtration systems," bargain-basement water filters bought by unsuspecting people who pay ten times their value in order to win bogus prizes like cars, jewelry and overseas vacations--which they never collect. These scams net the flim-flam men a few hundred here, another thousand there, which eventually adds up to a lucrative partnership. Roy's private life, however, is not so successful. An obsessive-compulsive agoraphobe with no personal relationships to call his own, Roy is barely hanging on to his wits, and when his idiosyncrasies begin to threaten his criminal productivity he's forced to seek the help of a psychoanalyst just to keep him in working order. While Roy is looking for a quick fix, his therapy begets more than he bargained for: the revelation that he has a teenage daughter--a child whose existence he suspected but never dared confirm. What's more troubling, 14-year-old Angela wants to meet the father she never knew. At first, Angela's appearance disrupts her neurotic father's carefully ordered routine. Soon, however, with his own unique spin on parenthood, Roy begins to enjoy a relationship he never dreamed of having with his daughter. But while he develops paternal feelings for the 14-year-old, she's developing a fascination with Daddy's questionable career.

Matchstick Men details

Format:	15 DVD
Starring:	Bruce Altman, Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell
Director:	Ridley Scott
Genres:	Comedy, Drama
Studio:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Collections:	Con Movies, Funny Films

DVD 1 disc

Name	Discs
Matchstick Men	15 Feature

DVD Information

Run time:	1 hour 51 minutes
Rental release:	20 Feb 2004
Main languages:	English
Dubbed:	French, Italian
Subtitles:	Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Hearing impaired subtitles:	English, Italian

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Most helpful review Matchstick Men

One of the best movies...

By Caster#1 from WADEBRIDGE , 21 Feb 2004

[Highly rated reviewer]

One of the best movies of 2003 somehow bypassed everyone at the cinema and arrives on DVD with critical aplomb. Ridley Scott's heist-cum-family drama sees neurotic con-man Nicolas Cage discovering he has a daughter (Lohman, excellent playing a 14 year old - she's 24 in real life) and must change his life when she comes to live with him. The performances are spot on and, if Rockwell is a little underused, the script has plenty of twists and turns. Essential viewing.
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Every which way but out

By a customer , 06 May 2013

A most unusual movie and Nicholas cage's characterisation was so out of the usual that it increases my admiration of his acting skills. A strange start was overtaken by twists and turns at every corner - especially.......................d.
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An overrated underrated film

By theorganicdomino (22 reviews) , 23 Apr 2013

[Highly rated reviewer]

People have tried reclaiming this film from the obscurity it slipped into - leave it there I say. Sorry, but I could see the twist ending coming a mile off. The acting felt like it was in 'inverted commas' (Kate Winslet Syndrome I call it). The direction felt workmanlike and the script strived for depth only to scratch the surface. Nice ideas, but the visual washed-out tone of the film combined with a fringing of saccharine to an already skimpy plot made me feel like I'd wasted my time.
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Average watchable drama

By Bobsview (549 reviews) from Gloucestershire , 04 Apr 2013

Nicholas cage. Watchable . The con artist gets conned. Over emphasis on his ocd disorder. Good twist at end. Average film
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One to watch

By a customer , 30 Jan 2013

Excellent film and brilliant acting from Nicholas Cage as his OCD and nervousness fluctuates. Keeps you thinking and draws you in early on.
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bit of a let-down

By Valybobs (11 reviews) , 31 Aug 2012

This could have been so much better! Both main actors put in great performances, but unfortunately there's a very predictable and disappointing twist which suddenly made the film much less enjoyable for me.
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