Tuesday, June 08, 2004
MOVIE OF THE WEEK When people tick off David Mamet's literary accomplishments THINGS CHANGE, the Don Ameche vehicle he co-wrote with Shel Silverstein, is usually pretty far down on the list.
But this genre-busting 1988 mob parable deserves to be seen. Mamet and Silverstein spin a fanciful yarn while resisting the temptation to let their story devolve into farce. What emerges is a sweet movie that is smart without attempting to be clever.
Ameche is great, William H. Macy sports spiked blonde hair, and the film is entirely irony-free. Think Disney--but without the heavy-handedness or the saccharine aftertaste.
