As has become rapidly apparent over the course of his career, a little bit of Andy Garcia goes a long way. Though he can rise to good material, his taste generally is poor, as this lumpy comedy proves. More to the point, w... more »ithout good material, Garcia is revealed for what he is: a pretty-boy actor with only minimal talent and a slightly cross-eyed smile. So the idea of Garcia playing identical twins--one good, one evil--offers twice as much to despair of. The good twin is a social activist, who wants to utilize the sprawling ranch left to him by his late mother as a haven for oppressed migrant workers. The bad twin wants to steal the land and develop it with luxury condominiums. With four writers credited to Steal Big, Steal Little, it's no wonder the whole thing is a mishmash. Director Andrew Davis segued into this from The Fugitive (and the awful Chain Reaction) and showed that his action sense did him little good when trying to handle limp social-commentary comedy. Only Alan Arkin, old pro that he is, emerges unscathed. --Marshall Fine« less
"Wow, the Amazon review is both mean-spirited and dead wrong (as anyone who has seen his brilliant performance in 'When A Man Loves a Woman' knows). I am not what you would call an Andy Garcia "fan" but give the man his due -- this is a very good movie, funny ensemble cast (especially Alan Arkin and Joe Pantoliano), and lovely location. So lighten up."
Lemon tree very pretty, and lemon flower very sweet....
Darby Grey | Casablanca by the Sea FL | 06/20/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As I was browsing through the HBO offerings last Friday night I saw the unusual pairing of Alan Arkin and Andy Garcia. I missed the crucial first fifteen minutes, and was a bit confused, but that's not really a bad thing in this movie. After the plot sort of began to make sense to me, Joey Pants showed up as Ruben's (the good, kind, warm hearted brother) attorney. That clinched it. Even though a new storyline or plot twist was thrown in every few minutes like adding more chilés for salsa, with Andy Garcia, (who is much, much more than a man with a love for hats)* Alan Arkin, Andy Garcia, Joe Pantoliano and David Ogden Stiers, I was laughing (or crying) every moment.
There are definite hold your breath moments about what's going to happen next; and the scenery is pretty darn good, too.
It reminded me at first of a James Cagney movie, 'Never Steal Anything Small', which has a similar title, but other than the leads being lovable and charming, the movies are not really the same.
This is also a long movie, the running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it never dragged, and was never boring. It was kind of like if Billy Jack and Caine from Kung Fu were really identical twins and Billy Jack decided he wanted more money and power and to sell all their land.
As another reviewer said, it is acted lovingly by everyone in the cast, which makes it even more endearing.
It gets a four star from Casablanca, and only misses five because of some of the things at the big party.
Watch it, watch it twice...make some guacamole, buy something good to drink, and just enjoy it."
Mean Andy, Nice Andy
Donna Knight | Los Angeles, CA | 04/24/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is not your typical evil twin movie, although on the surface it might seem so. Twin brothers are raised by a rich woman who adopts them. When she dies, the evil twin wants to make money off the land, while the good twin wants to share the land and all the wealth with everybody. It's not the funniest movie but I did enjoy the lightheartedness of it. The few scenes where the twins are shown together are some of the most convincing digitized twin scenes I've ever seen.
Flaws: It was a little unfocused and longer than it needed to be, but I liked the loving spirit that most of the people in this movie had. And who doesn't love a movie with a happy ending?
From what I've read about Andy Garcia, the good twin is very similar in his generous, caring nature but Andy is probably better in his money management skills. This is not Andy's best work (although his acting was superb) but nonetheless a "must have" in your Andy Garcia collection. Alan Arkin was lovable as the Andy's friend who tries to steer him in the right direction. Rachel Ticotin also does a respectable job as the wife who at first is reluctant to get back together with her husband."
Double the pleasure... double the fun!
chatchi | Chicago, IL | 05/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the man who brought us "The Fugitive" and "Under Siege" (the good one), comes an original comedic tale of two brothers fighting over the same inheritance.
Starring Andy Garcia... and Andy Garcia, "Steal Big, Steal Little" succeeds in every way that "Multiplicity", "Dead Ringers" and a few of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movies have failed. The twin brothers, both played BRILLIANTLY by Garcia, couldn't be more dissimilar (one is good and one is bad). So when their adoptive mother leaves her fortune and estate to only one of the brothers -- the fun begins!
Clever camera tricks and a fast-paced script make "Steal Big, Steal Little" the perfect movie for anyone who has ever been caught in the middle of a battle for family inheritance.
Andy Garcia's finest work."
Andy Garcia is Awesome
chatchi | 08/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Garcia makes this film watchable, even great. His first comedic performance is probably his 2nd best (after Things To Do In Denver..). He once again proves he is the most underrated actor of the 90s. It makes me sick when actors like Van Damme or even Christopher Lambert get more fame than him."