Generally, I like this movie. Not a huge fan of Nick Cage most of the time and Matchstick Men is no exception. But he's likable enough once you get over the often-bad acting.
I won't labor the plot - 300+ other reviews do that very well. And I am one of those who actually liked the "big con" twist - and no, I didn't see it coming (I can be plot-dense sometimes LOL!). I retrospect, it's so obvious - but so was Sixth Sense and a lot of people bought that one too.
What really bugs me about this movie are two things:
1. Cage's character is supposedly massively OCD about cleanliness. And yet he is a horribly messy chain smoker. In countless scenes he's flicking ashes on the floor, in the house and car. His car ashtray is overflowing. And everyone comes in his house and comments on how it always smells "clean" from cleaning products.... has anyone ever visited a chain smoker's house? EVERYTHING would be coated with goo that would then be collecting massive dust. And you don't just wipe that away! As a long-ago heavy smoker I can attest to this. No OCD-Cleanliness person would smoke much less chain smoke.
2. I'd have to count, but I'd bet there are only a handful of scenes where someone isn't blatantly smoking. It's so annoying and so unnecessary to the plot. The little girl even is seen smoking, the shrink smokes a pipe, Frank smokes, the big con guy smokes, and they smoke everywhere - Cage even smokes while eating breakfast. The Tobacco industry must be proud of this - either that or Cage (who in fact is a chain smoker) demanded he be able to smoke in every scene or he wouldn't do it.
I'm no radical "anti-smoking" person (typing this from a Casino bar in Vegas in fact LOL!) - but it's such a laughable plot item and clearly not an accident.
But otherwise, I still like the movie
I won't labor the plot - 300+ other reviews do that very well. And I am one of those who actually liked the "big con" twist - and no, I didn't see it coming (I can be plot-dense sometimes LOL!). I retrospect, it's so obvious - but so was Sixth Sense and a lot of people bought that one too.
What really bugs me about this movie are two things:
1. Cage's character is supposedly massively OCD about cleanliness. And yet he is a horribly messy chain smoker. In countless scenes he's flicking ashes on the floor, in the house and car. His car ashtray is overflowing. And everyone comes in his house and comments on how it always smells "clean" from cleaning products.... has anyone ever visited a chain smoker's house? EVERYTHING would be coated with goo that would then be collecting massive dust. And you don't just wipe that away! As a long-ago heavy smoker I can attest to this. No OCD-Cleanliness person would smoke much less chain smoke.
2. I'd have to count, but I'd bet there are only a handful of scenes where someone isn't blatantly smoking. It's so annoying and so unnecessary to the plot. The little girl even is seen smoking, the shrink smokes a pipe, Frank smokes, the big con guy smokes, and they smoke everywhere - Cage even smokes while eating breakfast. The Tobacco industry must be proud of this - either that or Cage (who in fact is a chain smoker) demanded he be able to smoke in every scene or he wouldn't do it.
I'm no radical "anti-smoking" person (typing this from a Casino bar in Vegas in fact LOL!) - but it's such a laughable plot item and clearly not an accident.
But otherwise, I still like the movie
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