Crackers

French director Louis Malle (Elevator to the Gallows, The Thief of Paris, Murmur of the Heart) follows up his first three acclaimed American pictures, Pretty Baby, Atlantic City, and My Dinner with Andre, with this inert attempt at a comedy of errors that I'm sure and everyone involved would like to forget. A remake of the 1958 Italian film Big Deal on Madonna Street directed by Mario Monicelli, this laughless "comedy" has a terrific cast who all seem to be directed to treat this farse as if it were a serious drama. Donald Sutherland, Sean Penn, Trinidad Silva, Larry Riley, and Wallace Shawn play broke losers who hang out in a San Fransico pawn shop owned by Jack Warden. When Warden goes to visit his mom, they hatch a plan to break into the shop and crack his safe. Why they would need to break into a place they have such easy access to is as baffling as why they would think there would be any money in the safe. Just as in the original film, there is far too much setup and not enough payoff; it's just that in this version, there's no payoff at all. Christine Baranski plays a wild and crazy meter maid with the hots for Southerland and every other guy on the street. Tasia Valenza plays Silva's sister, who is the object of Penn's affection. Charlayne Woodard plays a maid who decides she wants Riley to help her become a prostitute. The sub-plots that involve these actresses seem to be there to add levity and spice, but they feel like padding to bring this slog of a movie up to its 98-minute running time.