- 1991movierewind
Episode #103: Oscar
Listen to Episode 103 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - In Oscar, Angelo “Snaps” Provolone (played by Sylvester Stallone) made a promise to his dying father to quit the gangster life and be an honest man. During his first day while preparing for a meeting with bankers, he is bombarded with problems from his family and associates that truly tests his ability to leave that world behind.
Screenplay by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland; Directed by John Landis; and released on April 26, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
The movie did not start strong for us. A very obvious set of jokes followed by Stallone mugging to the camera.
Then there's an animated credit sequence, which was cool for a minute, but we struggled to understand the purpose.
Then the shenanigans start. The meat of the movie is a gigantic series of misunderstandings and wacky goings-ons
All delivered with the same magic, but sadly the same material, from the 1940s.
It really tries very hard to be funny but it's hard to find a joke that hasn't been in something else before.
There's quite a lot of great actors spread throughout, but it's wasted potential.
Some people rag on Stallone (especially at the time), but he did what he could and wasn't the worst.
Tim Curry, however, is arguably the best in this.
There are some terribly painful sequences in what is mostly a fast-paced comedy.
Overall, the plot twists and turns are pretty well expected and that just makes it less fun to watch
At least the movie looks amazing.
Awards Talk: The movie only earned nominations from the Razzie Awards for Worst Actor (Stallone), Supporting Actress (Tomei), and Director (Landis)
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we don't have any true crime and we don't have a lot of pop culture as this is the third movie we've seen for the exact same date.
So we talk a little about the 1967 Film with the same title but different time period
Both movies are based on the "Oscar" Play - https://www.galerie-roger-viollet.fr/en/photo-oscar-play-by-claude-magnier-louis-de-funes-509426-545654876
Which was written by Claude Magnier - https://en.unifrance.org/directories/person/369670/claude-magnier
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 1 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 1 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Neither of us have any interest in watching this again. It felt incredibly dated and wholly unoriginal in every respect. Maybe we'd consider watching the 1967 French film that's in a modern setting and seems to feature physical comedy. This version had great set design, a couple of decent supporting actors and that's about it.
If you want to watch Oscar, as of this recording in March 2023, it’s available on Hoopla, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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