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High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)
Runtime: 86 mins
Synopsis: THELMA AND LOUISE meets BRIDGET JONES' DIARY in this madcap British caper starring Minnie Driver as Sharon, a young, working-class nurse struggling to survive the work-a-day world of London with her best friend Frances (Mary McCormack). One night, while Sharon and Frances are... THELMA AND LOUISE meets BRIDGET JONES' DIARY in this madcap British caper starring Minnie Driver as Sharon, a young, working-class nurse struggling to survive the work-a-day world of London with her best friend Frances (Mary McCormack). One night, while Sharon and Frances are eavesdropping on cell phone calls using Sharon's deadbeat boyfriend's police scanner, they overhear a conversation detailing a top-dollar bank heist about to take place in their neighborhood. Desperate for cash and down-on-their-luck, the girls decide to go against their initial intentions to report the crime and do the unthinkable: blackmail the thieves for a cut of the money. But, what begins as a half-cocked plan turns deadly when they are faced with the ruthless ringleader of the band of thugs (Kevin McNally), who will stop at nothing to derail his new competition. This mod caper, featuring 1960s era split screens and a classic pair of bumbling detectives, is a delirious combination of screwball comedy and Guy Ritchie-inspired action. Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack are delightfully kooky as the naive nurse turned femme fatale and the aspiring actress who finally gets a chance to embody new and unusual characters. Hilarious gags and nonstop action combine to give this lively adventure a zestful and brazen energy that erupts in a powerhouse finale. HIGH HEELS AND LOW LIFES features an hysterical cast of characters including Michael Gambon who costars as an eerily feminine, Godfather-like, criminal mastermind. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Kevin McNally, Michael Gambon, Danny Dyer
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 4, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Letterboxed - 1.85:1
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - 1. Mel Smith - Director
- Film Highlights/Clips - 1. "Action Overload"
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
- Making-of
Reviews
The gags involve mistaken identity, chases, and various other devices that are borrowed from Ealing but were getting to be clichés in the time of Shakespeare
For this to be an enjoyable, fast-paced, chick comedy, it would first have to be a lot brisker than it is, and secondly, a lot funnier.
A dull waste of a film, which will have you forgetting scenes, before they've even finished.
You can't help feel that the director settled for smirks when he could've had bellylaughs.
Won't leave audiences with too many bad memories--mostly because it evaporates from memory as soon as the closing crawl begins.
It's the charming wit and screen presence of McCormack that saves this picture from being a total mess.
With the tiny I.Q.s of the characters in this film, it wouldn't have been much harder for the likes of Laverne and Shirley to pull off the same joyless stunt.
Driver and McCormack make appealing heroines, and Kevin McNally and Michael Gambon are gratifyingly menacing villains.
Distinctly low on laughs and, despite a running time of only 86 minutes, far outstays its welcome.
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by: wisteria 6/5/02


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