Today’s quick review: Oscar. To honor the dying wish of his father, Angelo “Snaps” Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) vows to put his life of crime behind him and turn his bootlegging empire into a legitimate business. But on the day Snaps is set to make the switch, his household is thrown into chaos when Anthony Rossano (Vincent Spano), his double-dealing accountant, confesses his love for Snaps’ rebellious daughter Lisa (Marisa Tomei).
Oscar is a crime comedy about a Prohibition-era gangster trying to go legitimate. The movie takes place in Snaps’ palatial home over the course of his last morning as a criminal. What starts as simple preparation for a meeting with his new business partners turns into a tangled mess as Snaps finds out that his daughter has a suitor—and the suitor has $50,000 of Snaps’ money. A cavalcade of coincidences, schemes, and misunderstandings ensues.
Oscar has a small bag of tricks but finds creative ways to use them. The same gags are repeated over and over throughout the movie, but each time as part of a more elaborate scenario. The result is basic comedy that builds on itself nicely as the complications pile up. Sylvester Stallone is the glue that holds the movie together, delivering a suitably harried performance as Snaps, and he’s complemented nicely by the supporting cast.
Still, Oscar won’t appeal to everyone. The movie puts in a lot of footwork to earn its laughs, and not every viewer will have the patience to keep track of its large cast of characters. The humor itself is fun enough, but it’s not as sharply written as the best comedies done in the same style. As such, Oscar is consistently entertaining for a viewer willing to meet it halfway, but it never does anything impressive enough to win over a skeptic.
Oscar is worth a watch for those who enjoy sprawling, madcap comedies. The script never rises to the peak of the genre, but it turns simple building blocks into a satisfying tower of jokes and plot twists. Those in the mood for a light comedy with clean execution will find Oscar to be a good pick. Those hoping for more superlative comedy or a story with more payoff may want to try something else.
For an even less serious Prohibition-era crime comedy, try Johnny Dangerously. For a musical comedy with a similar sense of chaos, try A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. For a romantic comedy about an important day in a well-to-do household, try The Philadelphia Story. For an absurd crime comedy with a whodunit twist, try Clue.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for solid comedy.