' Welcome to Collinwood'

Movie Review

"Welcome to Collinwood"

Two Stars

Small-time crooks plan what seems to be the perfect job in a decidedly small-time movie. Despite the presence of some of the film industry's bigger names, "Welcome to Collinwood" is good for some chuckles and little else.

A zany chain of events begins when the irascible, incarcerated Cosimo (Luis Guzman) lets slip his "bellini" -- that is, a hot tip for a big score. An apartment is available for rent that happens to be located next door to the office of a jewelry store, complete with a safe.

Numerous misfits -- Pero (Sam Rockwell), Riley (William H. Macy), Rosalind (Patricia Clarkson), Leon (Isaiah Washington), Basil (Anthony Davoli) and Toto (Michael Jeter) -- gradually become part of the team to pull off the dream job. Of course, their plan soon becomes a logistical nightmare as Cosimo breaks out of prison to reclaim his "bellini" and the apartment inexplicably is taken. Pero then must woo Carmela (Jennifer Esposito), the new tenants' maid, for access.

With such wacky characters and plot points, a film like this needs to be funny above all else. Thankfully, "Welcome to Collinwood" features a number of inspired comic moments. The actual heist goes awry -- was that ever in doubt? -- and quickly becomes a side-splitting comedy of errors.

"Welcome to Collinwood" has a good amount of muscle pushing it along. Co-directors and brothers Anthony and Joe Russo saw it premiere at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. George Clooney and hot-stuff director Steven Soderbergh served as the film's executive producers, and Clooney even pops up as a safecracker in a wheelchair.

There's one more connection. The plot of "Welcome to Collinwood" is similar to that of Soderbergh's "Ocean's Eleven," the 2001 crime caper that starred Clooney. But that movie both was smarter and had more style to spare, while the newer film is like the kid brother that stayed in his hometown and didn't amount to much.

Although it clocks in at a scant 84 minutes, the film runs on fumes for a good portion of that amount. Rather than pumping up its plot, the filmmakers have chosen to reinforce a sense of setting -- Collinwood is a subsection of Cleveland -- and an old-time feel.

Perhaps the Russos ultimately were constrained by their source material. Their film is a remake of the 1958 Italian crime comedy "I Soliti Ignoti," known in the United States as "Big Deal on Madonna Street." In effect, "Welcome to Collinwood" feels like a filmmaking workout instead of a real effort to make an artistic statement.

This isn't to say that the people involved don't seem enthusiastic about making the film. The Russos direct with a refreshing flair that can take the audience back to the low-key, good ol' days before the Bays and the Bruckheimers took over Hollywood. The actors are game, as well.

Nevertheless, "Welcome to Collinwood" doesn't stick well in the memory once it's over, and it doesn't have much more of an impact while it's playing.

The co-directors haven't embarrassed themselves with this, their major big-screen debut. Still, they'll need to come up with something a lot more substantial if they truly want to make some waves.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.