I would be
curious to know what director Michael Hoffman is responsible for in the
creation of Gambit, because it is
nearly impossible to believe that changes weren’t made to the screenplay by
Joel and Ethan Coen. The end result has little appearance of anything that is
likely to come from this respected pair of filmmakers, with the exception of an
extremely poorly executed attempt at a Raising
Arizona-style comedy in the absurd. The only hint of reasoning behind the
Coen brothers’ involvement in this project is their known affinity for darker
British comedies of yesteryear, but even The
Ladykillers comes off looking like a masterpiece compared to Gambit.
Based on the
short story by Sidney Carroll, Gambit was previous adapted in the 1966 version
starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. It follows the narrative structure
of a heist film while allowing the story to move forward through the use of farcical
comedy and the Coen’s signature sharp wit in the dialogue. This at times makes
the film feel more schizophrenic and uncertain, as none of the genres chosen
for the mash-up of filmmaking feel complete. The comedy overtakes the crime
aspects of the film until a contrived climax allows for a slightly clever twist
which only surprises due to the lack of focus in the narrative.
Colin Firth
seems to come out relatively unscathed, despite only needing to play a
caricature version of many roles previously made famous by the British actor.
He plays the role of bumbling British gentleman Harry Deane all too well, but
this film has little original to do with this charismatic personality other
than place him in manufactured situations of slapstick humor. Less fortunate in
the casting of Gambit is Cameron Diaz as the hokey rodeo cowgirl, PJ Puznowski,
a personality that never comes off as realistic or believable in the slightest.
Regardless of how thick Diaz makes her southern drawl and how often she bats
her eyelashes with wide-eyed naivety, this is a poorly constructed and executed
performance from the American star. It is quite clear that she spent more time
making sure her stomach was toned for the underwear jump-roping scenes than
developing a believable personality for PJ.
The Blu-ray
release is appropriately void of special features.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
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