April 12: Matchstick Men

"A phobic con artist and his protégé are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly."

   We all know Nicolas Cage hasn't picked the best roles in his career. But, even then, throughout all of the shit, there hides a couple of diamonds. Matchstick Men is one of those gems and Cage is at his best in it. He plays Roy, a conman  whose life changes when his daughter, whom he's never met, arrives. Roy has a horrible case of OCD, constantly twitching and grunting like he's possessed by a little demon that can't stand dirt on the carpet. Cage is amazing in the role, as he's pretty much Roy in all of his other movies. Mr. Cage certainly may struggle carrying an action movie, but it's in the dramatic roles where he shines and Matchstick Men is one of his better career decisions. 

G-Force being the greatest movie he's made. 

   Now, most con artist movies focus on the heists and all of the tricks being pulled off. Matchstick Men, however, focuses more on the characters than their jobs and the con work plays second fiddle to the story and the acting. When Roy's daughter (Alison Lohman) comes into the picture, she slowly helps him unwind and the two bond. All the scenes that Cage and Lohman share are great to watch and the two have terrific chemistry as father and daughter. Sam Rockwell plays Frank, Roy's partner. He, as always, kicks the role out of the park (he really needs to be in everything). 

Yes, Sam, you do rock...well. (bada bing!)

  Overall, Matchstick Men is definitely worth the watch. Cage is at home in the role of Roy and the supporting cast works wonders around him. With a terrific soundtrack featuring Frank Sinatra, along with the direction of Ridley Scott, I highly recommend Matchstick Men. It's always nice to see Cage in a role that he actually fits (Adapation, The Family Man, Lord of War) and this film is a reminder that he can actually act. Oh, and he's pretty amazing. Go watch this movie when you want to forget the bad. 

The Good:

superb cast

The Bad:

everything else is just kind of bland

The Ugly:

realizing that Nic Cage has probably given up on dramatic roles

Overall: 7.6/10

Best Quote:

Roy: "Look, Doc, I spent last Tuesday watching fibers on my carpet. And the whole time I was watching my carpet, I was worrying that I, I might vomit. And the whole time, I was thinking, "I'm a grown man. I should know what goes on my head." And the more I thought about it... the more I realized that I should just blow my brains out and end it all. But then I thought, well, if I thought more about blowing my brains out... I start worrying about what that was going to do to my goddamn carpet."

Trailer: