Following a deathbed promise to his father (Kirk Douglas), depression-era gangster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) tries to go straight and move to more legitimate interests. On the day he finalizes an important deal to transition his assets to banking, Snaps is beset by a nonstop series of lies, revelations, and misunderstandings ranging from surprise suitors who are after a woman who's not his daughter, a daughter who says she's pregnant but isn't, and antagonistic forces from the police, bank, and rival mob bosses resulting in farcical chaos.
Oscar is a 1991 remake of the 1967 film of the same name starring Louis de Funes which itself was adapted from a stage play by Claude Magnier. While the original de Funes film was set in contemporary times, Landis made the remake a period film and was influenced by comedies released around the era in which the film is set, with humor and dialogue delivered in a manner reminiscent of old Hollywood comedies. Initially a vehicle for Al Pacino, Pacino left the project when the film Dick Tracy offered him $1 million more than Oscar resulting in the casting of Sylvester Stallone (no doubt taking a page from Schwarzenegger's book with his films Twins and Kindergarten Cop). A critical and commercial dud upon release, the movie did receive some praise from critics such as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel who gave the film two thumbs up on their syndicated review show, but most of the reception tended to skew negative. 30 years later looking back, Oscar is a well crafted homage to old school screwball farces and has some terrific work from an ensemble cast.
The movie like its source is a comedy of errors wherein complications and character motivations are piled on and thrown at the audience so thick and fast so that we don't have time to think about them. Director John Landis keeps the energy moving with a series of larger than life characters who come through the Snaps' mansion home that serves as our primary setting with characters coming, leaving, and coming back often with new developments and revelations that only serve to add to the confusion and chaos. Stallone makes a good straight man to the chaos that is his life and gives appropriately large reactions frustrations and shocks. Marisa Tomei is fun as Snap' resentful daughter, Chazz Palminteri gets some solid mileage out his delightfully thick headed henchmen persona with a solid running gag about Snaps taking weapons away from him, and Tim Curry makes a massively welcome appearance as Snaps' linguistics coach who becomes embroiled in the farcical chaos with his usual energy and charisma.
There's really not much I can say about Oscar other than "it's funny". The movie recreates the look an old Hollywood screwball farce and has a strong ensemble of energized players giving funny reactions to the chaos running through their lives and aside from ending on a "just okay" note it's pretty much what you'd expect from this type of light comedic farce.
Oscar is a 1991 remake of the 1967 film of the same name starring Louis de Funes which itself was adapted from a stage play by Claude Magnier. While the original de Funes film was set in contemporary times, Landis made the remake a period film and was influenced by comedies released around the era in which the film is set, with humor and dialogue delivered in a manner reminiscent of old Hollywood comedies. Initially a vehicle for Al Pacino, Pacino left the project when the film Dick Tracy offered him $1 million more than Oscar resulting in the casting of Sylvester Stallone (no doubt taking a page from Schwarzenegger's book with his films Twins and Kindergarten Cop). A critical and commercial dud upon release, the movie did receive some praise from critics such as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel who gave the film two thumbs up on their syndicated review show, but most of the reception tended to skew negative. 30 years later looking back, Oscar is a well crafted homage to old school screwball farces and has some terrific work from an ensemble cast.
The movie like its source is a comedy of errors wherein complications and character motivations are piled on and thrown at the audience so thick and fast so that we don't have time to think about them. Director John Landis keeps the energy moving with a series of larger than life characters who come through the Snaps' mansion home that serves as our primary setting with characters coming, leaving, and coming back often with new developments and revelations that only serve to add to the confusion and chaos. Stallone makes a good straight man to the chaos that is his life and gives appropriately large reactions frustrations and shocks. Marisa Tomei is fun as Snap' resentful daughter, Chazz Palminteri gets some solid mileage out his delightfully thick headed henchmen persona with a solid running gag about Snaps taking weapons away from him, and Tim Curry makes a massively welcome appearance as Snaps' linguistics coach who becomes embroiled in the farcical chaos with his usual energy and charisma.
There's really not much I can say about Oscar other than "it's funny". The movie recreates the look an old Hollywood screwball farce and has a strong ensemble of energized players giving funny reactions to the chaos running through their lives and aside from ending on a "just okay" note it's pretty much what you'd expect from this type of light comedic farce.