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MATCHSTICK MEN by Tom McCurrie
Movies about con artists are the toughest to write and the most fun to watch. They're the toughest to write because you have to keep the audience constantly off-balance as to who's conning whom. They're the most fun to watch because the final twist usually gives such a pleasurable kick you literally leave the theatre walking on air. Unfortunately, the only kick MATCHSTICK MEN gives is one to the gut.
(Warning: Definite Spoilers Ahead!)
Written by Nicholas and Ted Griffin, and based on the novel by Eric Garcia, MATCHSTICK MEN is about Roy, an obsessive-compulsive con man who brings his long-lost daughter Angela into the family business. But just when you think MATCHSTICK is going to be another lighthearted comedy, the final twist shatters expectations with a vengeance. It turns out the daughter isn't his daughter, but part of a larger con to fleece away his fortune. The culprit -- his partner Frank! Bummer.
If nothing else, the screenplay for MATCHSTICK is a skillful example of plant and payoff, acting like catnip to those who wish to go back and see how they were fooled. (Lesson for beginning screenwriters: A USUAL SUSPECTS-like twist does wonders for repeat business.) Here are some good plants for the watchful eye: the fact that Roy never saw Angela enter her "mother's" apartment, the fact that Angela took to grifting so easily with the lottery scam, and the fact that Frank made an offhand remark about needing money while Roy had enough to retire. Plants like these serve as signs pointing to the twist for those clever enough to spot them. This way, the audience can't complain the twist came out of nowhere.
The problem comes when some of these plants don't pay off. For instance, how did Frank know Roy wouldn't be able to call his ex? Frank's whole plan depends upon this convenience. And how did Frank know Roy would change his mind and go for the long con? Just because he picked up a daughter? Frank's scheme goes too perfectly; he simply gets too many breaks to believe. And this undercuts the effect of the twist.
Another problem is the mix of genres. MATCHSTICK is a combo of family comedy and grifter drama. Unfortunately, the con elements are pushed to the background, along with much of the tension. This leaves the family stuff to do the heavy lifting, which it can't quite do, despite the efforts of Nic Cage and a game cast. After all, the Estranged-Parent-Kid-Plot has been done to death on just about every channel currently listed in TV Guide, so it's hard to get too gripped by that. We've also seen the obsessive-compulsive shtick one time too often as well. Certainly Jack winning a Golden Boy for AS GOOD AS IT GETS should have put this spiel to bed for awhile.
Still, the biggest problem with MATCHSTICK isn't credibility or familiarity. It's emotional impact. That's because at the end the good guy gets screwed and the bad guy gets away with it. Unless you're a misanthrope, this makes you feel pretty upset. And having a coda where Roy accepts his royal screwing doesn't wash. What, I'm supposed to be happy he's selling remnants at the local Carpeteria? So what if it's good, honest work -- he wuz robbed! Any self-respecting dude would be out for revenge. Roy certainly wouldn't have forgiven Angela so easily. The writers should have had Roy do one last con against Frank. Maybe he could have enlisted Angela, since she was gypped of her take as well. Anything but end with Roy lying down and taking it up the wahzoo.
MATCHSTICK's plot is very reminiscent of an Argentinean film called NINE QUEENS (2000). This flick also had a con man screwing his partner out of a fortune. But this partner was a total jerk you wanted to see screwed. Ripping off old ladies, forcing his sister to sleep with a mark, and staging a robbery to steal money from his own protege are only a few of his crimes. So when the protege (and everyone else in the film) cons him out of his fortune (which was his sister and younger brother's pilfered inheritance), it's an emotionally satisfying just desserts.
In MATCHSTICK on the other hand, Roy is too damn sweet. It's true he cons people, but only those who deserve it. His marks are tax-cheaters and shady businessmen, people practically begging to be taken. And when Roy has Angela con a woman in a lottery scam, he forces her to give the money back. His affection for Angela, his endearing tics and his generally self-loathing view of the "trade" make him sympathetic in comparison to everyone else in the film. So when he's betrayed at the end, we're angry at the writers (and director) for forcing us to watch a good man get it in the gut. Maybe if they were making a sober movie about the futility of life this ending would work. But MATCHSTICK is a comedy with dramatic overtones, so the dark turn comes out of nowhere, confusing and frustrating us. We're simply not prepared for this type of ending happening to this type of guy. And that's not good for word-of-mouth.
Remember, having an intellectually clever twist is one thing, but having an emotionally satisfying one is another.
Responses, comments and general two-cents worth can be E-mailed to [email protected].
(Note: For all those who missed my past reviews, I've just archived them on Hollywoodlitsales.com. Just click the link on the main page and it'll take you to the Inner Sanctum. Love them or Hate them at your leisure!)
A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Tom McCurrie has worked as a development executive and a story analyst. He is currently a screenwriter living in Los Angeles.
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