As a long-time Stallone watcher, I was not sure I'd like to see him in a comedic role.It was why I have avoided seeing this older movie until recently. I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off convincingly. The hero of First Blood, Rocky, Daylight, and many other adult action films, with his strong, cold, and detached expressions, isn't my first image of a humorous character. Even in "Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot" (with the lovable, fiesty, Estelle Getty,) Sly's comedy played off of the other characters, instead of developing a life of it's own. "Oscar" has forced me to change my stereotyped opinion of Sylvester Stallone's acting range.

The story opens c:1930, with Angelo "Snaps" Provolone, (Sly,) promising his dying father that he will clean up his act and become a respectable person. This very irreverant deathbed scene tells you up front, this is not going to be a serious film.

A month after his father, (Kirk Douglas,) passes away, we see Angelo trying to honor his promise. He's determined to get out of the racketeering business, and become a respectable banker. He plans to marry off his daughter, and, even takes the guns from his assistants, (an inept groups who create most of the chaos which follows.)

In one day, Angelo is supposed to meet with a group of bankers, see his daughter married...... although she changes her potential husband 3 times...... and a variety of other things. Meanwhile, the Feds are watching all the comings and goings at the Provolone house, waiting to make a big bust. They suspect the "bankers" are not what they appear, but are there for racketeering purpose.

Vincent Spano plays the ingenious accountant who steals from Provolone. Chaz Palmenteri and Peter Riegert as the inept assistants to the mobster-turning-banker. Yvonne DeCarlo as Angelo's mother. Marissa Tomei as Angelo's daughter. Tim Curry, the speech instructor who is going to improve Angelo's grammatic and speech skills, to make him a more effective banker. And several other familiar faces dot the scene, helping to add to the confusion, as a trio of identical black bags, (containing $50./G's, jewelry and the ex-maid's undies,) is constantly and unwittingly switched from place to place and person to person.

This is a funny and fast paced comedy. Event if it isn't a new plot, this cast makes it all hillarious. There's no violence, and no profanity that I noticed. But it is a little mature, with complex details that young viewers may find too hard and boring to keep up with. However, my eight year old caught some of the lines and rolled around the floor, giggling ....... something she doesn't normally do. Naturally, the more she laughed, the funnier it became for the rest of us.

Gut-busting humor. It's a good way to restore peace and happiness to a grumpy spouse, or kids. It hasn't got a serious moment, other than the little time needed to develop the plot. Stallone impressed me with this one, and I look forward to seeing more of this type of entertainment from him.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8