Gambit

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

I had heard for years that Joel and Ethan Coen loved the original Gambit and had been working on a remake. That prospect excited me greatly, the original film with Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine has a great narrative device and a fun premise to see them play with.

So it was a real surprise that, without warning, the actual finished film was suddenly released, playing only once a day on one nearby screen. For a film that I'm actively following to manage to come out without me finding out anything about it feels like quite a feat in this day and age. It wasn't even listed on any of the cinemas coming soon sites. They just dumped it. It must be really bad then right?

Well no, it was actually really enjoyable, as one would expect from a Coen Bros. script. Their slightly skewed idea of British witticism is hilarious enough, but then to get Colin Firth, Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay to deliver the dialogue makes it that much sweeter.

Cameron Diaz is the MacLaine equivalent here, though the character has change significantly. And they use the same structure but truncated their first act more than the original film and seem to spend more time in the thick of the farce. And that's where it's all new material and there's some very silly and funny stuff to behold.

I don't know why the film has been dumped but if you try really hard, you'll manage to catch it in cinemas, and it's perfectly enjoyable too. Also seek out the original, which is equally fun.