Small Time Crooks (2000) User Reviews

Closer to Old-School Woody in spirit, but not execution

[Mr. Pulse · 7/10 · 20 May 2000]

"Small Time Crooks" is the latest movie from Woody Allen, and it will likely be seen by the same people who go see all of his other movie (myself included) but will likely not branch out far from there. It's funny, and Allen fans will enjoy it, but it's certainly not an outstanding comedy.

Allen plays Ray, a schlub living in New York who concocts a crazy scene to rob a bank. It involves a cookie store, a tunnel, and lots of drilling. It also stirs up one of the two out-and-out hilarious sequences in the movie.

After the digging sequence, the film takes an unexpected turn (which I will let you discover for yourself), and the section immediately following the "One Year Later" card is the best of the film. Sadly, the brilliant media satire and perfect lines are not repeated again in the film. for the remaining hour.

A lot of people have commented how this is Woody getting back to his roots. Certainly the film starts off like a lot of his early works, and the premise certainly shares a good deal with Take the Money and Run, but I would not put Small Time Crooks on the same level as that film, one of my favorite comedies. While it's certainly a lighter film than his later works, Allen just doesn't have the same bizarre gags and total disregard for reality that the early works had. That insane-genius-laughing-at-us-all energy is missing.

Still, the film looks great and the cast is especially good. I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of Michael Rappaport and John Lovitz, who sadly only appear in the first portion of the film.

Again, the movie isn't bad, it's just no Take the Money and Run. Recommended for Woody fans, but I wouldn't say expect the old master here, rather expect an older master doing his best to relive those early greats.

A hidden gem.

[abbywts · 8/10 · 15 January 2009]

I'll say this right upfront, I'm not really a Woody Allen fan. I like his earlier movies where he was simply funny and not trying to figure out the meaning of life or display the ennui of rich Manhattanites. I find those films incredibly ponderous and self-indulgent. But stuff like 'Play it Again Sam' (even though it has the equally whiny Diane Keaton), or 'Take the Money and Run' were his best films.

This film is a return to simple funny. One thing that happened while watching this movie: about 20 minutes into the movie I felt something about this movie was strange, but I couldn't figure out what. Then it hit me: no swearing. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie directed at adults that didn't have swearing. I'm not against swearing in movies by any means, but I have to say, I found it really refreshing. The script was forced to find the funny for real, rather on shock value. Needless to say, it also thankfully doesn't have any of the gross-out humour that passes for comedy in most films these days either. In the hands of most writers, it's not about pushing boundaries, but simply revealing the lack of genuine talent.

Although Ullman does a very good job, and Allen is at his comedic best, Elaine May really shines through in her role and is the one that makes me smile the most. It's a shame that she doesn't get, or take, more roles.

Smart and funny with a sense of style, pure Woody Allen. *** out of ****.

[Movie-12 · 8/10 · 17 June 2000]

SMALL TIME CROOKS / (2000) ***

Woody Allen's artistic sense of humor is the perfect style of wit for the timid new comedy "Small Time Crooks." Allen wrote and directed the film, which is pure Allen. This amusing filmmaker brings a focused sensation of clumsiness and silliness to the various ensemble of characters; this movie is classy, sharp, and funny.

Woody Allen stars as an ex-con named Ray Winkler, currently employed as a local dishwasher. He is the kind of person who comes up with maniac ideas he explains as beneficial, but they end up causing more grief than gratitude. His mangy wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) is sick of her loser lifestyle, so when Ray proposes to burglarize a nearby bank with his old buddies, including Denny (Michael Rapaport), Tommy (Tony Darrow), and Benny (Jon Lovitz), she reluctantly agrees.

Ray comes up with a scheme that consists of renting a storefront next to the bank in order to tunnel a passage way into their destination. To avoid suspicion, Frenchy and her cousin May (Elaine May) open a bakery offering cookies as the four criminals screw everything up in the basement. The cookie sales unexpectedly become a massive achievement, leading to the characters opening up a corporation that makes them rich.

The film's setup introduces the main characters with intelligent humor and riffraff detail. We learn they are unintelligent, desperate, and deprived nobodies living in unmistakable poverty without purpose or hope of a decent future. Also decently developed is the story, with a clear, stable first act and early laughs to capture the audience's attention from the start. This is the kind of movie that relies on situations to pull its characters through the story, and Allen gives the script fresh twists, active subplots, and creativity.

"Small Time Crooks" is a character movie; a study of well-acted personas given funny edge and dimension. The characters are dazzlingly portrayed by some of the most clever names in Hollywood. Woody Allen rehearses his basic charismatic personality that we all know and love, and brackets himself between witty dialogue and well-cast supporting actors. Tracey Ullman is perfect in a role seemingly prepared towards her performance and Hugh Grant's false charming tenderness creates a despicable image in which the audience opposes but enjoys.

The movie's story clearly exhibits the life of Ray and Frenchy, which is probably the smartest level in which it succeeds. We see gradual changes in the two as the story uses side characters as benchmarks that help to propel the plot along. There is minute tension involved with Ray and his spouse, however, although the Hugh Grant character provides a little romantic competition. If I had to change something in this movie, I would increase the level of the story's stakes and change the horridly annoying soundtrack.

Too much of this movie relies on dialogue to pull itself through story slouches; at times the plot seems to drift and the character end up explaining developments and advancements. "Small Time Crooks" does not suffer to immensely in result of this material because Woody Allen often supports his dialogue with visual story and amusing conversations that look as if especially written for each character in each scene.

"Small Time Crooks" furnishes seeking audiences with effective comedy. So often we desire for comic adventures only to find contrived and recycled humor in stale stories. This film succeeds in perspiring light-hearted humor with a surprising human dimensional touch. "Small Time Crooks" will not disappoint fans of Woody Allen's gawky sense of humor.

pleasant but time-marking comedy

[Buddy-51 · 6 January 2001]

Though essentially a time-marking throwaway by writer/director Woody Allen, `Small Time Crooks' provides so many gems of performance that one can overlook the film's derivative plotting and overall lack of comic drive. In this film, Allen more or less abandons his customary obsession with big city neuroses and middle-aged angst in favor of a more straightforward, plot-driven comedy, paying homage in its patchwork and eclectic story to any number of earlier well-known theatrical and cinematic works.

For example, the first half hour of the movie plays like a stateside version of the 1950's Italian comedy `Big Deal on Madonna Street' as a team of bumbling, far-from-intelligent small time crooks, led by ex-con Ray Winkler (Allen), sets up a cookie store as a `front' so they can drill a tunnel into a bank a mere two or three shops down the road. Then the plot of the film suddenly shifts gears when that plan falls apart and the gang hits pay dirt with the surprising success of the cookies that Ray's uncultured but well meaning wife, the former topless dancer Frenchy (Tracey Ullman), is assiduously baking and selling. The highlight of the film comes in the form of a brilliantly satiric pseudo-60 Minutes report in which Steve Kroft himself chronicles the meteoric rise that this ragtag collection of accidental entrepreneurs takes from obscure small business owners to multi-million dollar corporate giants – a report that pokes affectionate fun at the clichéd rags-to-riches theme so essential to our concept of the beloved American Dream.

With this plot switch, we leave Madonna Street and head into `Unsinkable Molly Brown/Pygmalion/Educating Rita' territory as the vulgar, uncouth Frenchy realizes that, even with all her suddenly acquired wealth, she cannot possibly gain true acceptance from the elite cultural snobs she so desperately wants to impress without a little assistance from her own personal Henry Higgins, who arrives in the form of an art dealer named David played by the suave Hugh Grant. Thus, as Frenchy branches out and begins to open herself up to new cultural experiences, the couple begins to drift apart as Ray comes to crave the return to the simpler life of spaghetti and meatball dinners he knows they have left far behind.

Had Allen been able to sustain the cleverness and bite that inform that `60 Minutes' segment throughout the length of the entire film, `Small Time Crooks' might have emerged as more than just the mere piece of entertaining puffery it ultimately is. Indeed, we find ourselves laughing only occasionally and often at jokes or sight gags that would barely register a chuckle in one of Allen's more sophisticated, more edgy and more character-driven works. Special note must, however, be made of some of the actors, prime among them Ullman and the always brilliant Elaine May who, as Frenchy's adenoidal, utterly befuddled and endearingly obtuse cousin, returns to her `A New Leaf' roots and provides some of the sweetest comic moments in the film. Unfortunately, Michael Rapaport, Tony Darrow and Jon Lovitz, as members of Ray's gang, though they all three give outstanding performances, aren't given enough screen time to really let their talents for comic characterization take flight. Hugh Grant is essentially Hugh Grant – which is to say that he fulfills the requirements of his part without having to stretch his thespian muscles too much.

The success or failure of a comedy is ultimately determined by how often it is able to elicit laughs from the person watching it. Given that criterion, `Small Time Crooks' rates no better than a mild recommendation (though there is one very funny scene involving safecracking near the end of the film). Yet, if for no other reason than to relish a number of its dazzling performances, `Small Time Crooks' certainly earns at least a casual once-over from any Allen devotee. Guess we have no choice but to mark time right along with him!

now he's making fun of rich New Yorkers

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 12 June 2006]

I would have never expected a movie like "Small Time Crooks", but one would have to imagine that it could only come from Woody Allen. He plays loser Ray Winkler, who plans to pull off a big heist. But of course, he needs a cover. So, his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) opens a cookie shop above the tunnel that Ray is digging, and lo and behold, the cookie shop is a smash hit, and they never pull off the heist! A year later, Ray and Frenchy are fabulously wealthy, to the point where "60 Minutes" reporter Steve Krofft interviews them. But this all starts exposing the problems in their lives. Maybe crime would have paid after all! Above all, this movie shows that Woody Allen does best when just going for straight comedy. I would say that this was his funniest movie since "Mighty Aphrodite". Also starring are Elaine May, Jon Lovitz and Hugh Grant. You're sure to like it.

Woody Lite

[EThompsonUMD · 7/10 · 30 May 2000]

Like Mighty Aphrodite and Manhattan Murder Mystery, Small Time Crooks is the kind of movie Woody Allen would have made lots more of if he hadn't, in the post Annie Hall 1970s, started thinking of himself primarily as film auteur, rather than comedian. I count myself among those who are very glad he made the detour into Art that produced such original and challenging films as Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Husbands and Wives, and Deconstructing Harry. Small Time Crooks has a much lower level of ambition. Still, like most people in the audience at the showing I attended, I found much in it very amusing.

The film's comic plot starts out like Take the Money and Run revisited, but then takes a number of surprising turns. Along the way, Tracy Ullman, Elaine Stritch, and - especially - Elaine May all give scene-stealing performances. Early Woody one-liners and sight gags sparkle through the script (along with, unfortunately, a higher frequency of duds and chestnuts than in early Woody). Also adding an interesting dimension to the comedy is the influence of The Honeymooners on the relationship between Ray and Frenchie Winkler (Woody and Tracy) and on the film's fish-out-of-water class-based situation comedy. Woody has often professed his admiration for The Honeymooners, but this is the first film where he seems to have consciously reached for similar themes and effects.

On the down side, some of the plot twists seem downright arbitrary and amateurish, especially those involving Frenchie's comeuppance. Inadequate comic use is made of Ray's gang of losers (Jon Lovitz has one good line and too little screen time). And Hugh Grant as a Bluebeard wannabe is too much to ask of any audience. As to Woody himself .... what can you say? It's painful to watch his late career hardening of the comic arteries into stiff, unintentional self-parody. Let's hope the next Allen movie marks a return to high directorial ambition and low (as in "no") acting profile.

Extremely Amusing, Ullman is Terrific

[jeffy-3 · 7/10 · 25 May 2000]

SMALL TIME CROOKS (2000) * * * Extremely amusing comedy about a classless, aging ex-con (Woody Allen) with a long-suffering smart-mouthed wife (Tracey Ulman in a great performance) and how his plan to rob a bank with his idiot friends (including Jon Lovitz wearing black socks, shorts, and sandals) takes them into territory they're totally unprepared for. To say more would ruin the fun. If your a fan of Woody's lighter stuff, this one ranks up there with Manhattan Murder Mystery and is maybe a notch below Everyone Says I Love You. Elaine May is hilarious as Ullman's empty-headed cousin. Also stars Hugh Grant and Michael Rappaport.

Ullman Matches Allen

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 9 March 2006]

I doubt if many people share this sentiment, but this is my favorite Woody Allen movie simply because it does what Allen usually sets out to do: makes me laugh. I'm not a big fan of Allen's films but he and Tracey Ullman make a great pair in this 95-minute farce. Ullman has to be one of the most talented ladies to never achieve real movie stardom. She matches Allen laugh-for-laugh in here and, in some respects, even steals the show.

Other than Allen's penchant for using the Lord's name in vain, this has a real classic-film feel to it, one of those old bickering spouse films but with more modern-day humor. Allen and Ullman trade some very funny insults, and there are many of these quality gags. Ullman is just plain hilarious as the bimbo-like "Frenchy."

Add a gigolo (Hugh Grant), a couple of inept crooks, a couple of old-time Elaine favorites, Strich and May, and a pretty funny premise and you have some good entertainment and an underrated Allen film.

Doesn't totally hit the mark but still pretty enjoyable

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 21 July 2014]

As someone who has loved or really liked(although from about 5 or 6 disappointments) most of what they've seen so far of Woody Allen's filmography(28 as of now), there was a lot to like about Small Time Crooks. But compared to a lot of Allen's other films, it was also uneven and disappointing. Getting onto the many good stuff, Small Time Crooks is beautifully photographed and there is a great use of locations, which look similarly great. Most of the acting is great, especially from Tracy Ullman who is splendid and Elaine May who is ditsy, charming and her comic timing is priceless. Woody Allen- whose directing I don't have a problem with here- gives a good performance too that does remind you of some of his earlier work. Jon Lovitz and Michael Rappaport are a lot of fun in the little screen time we see them in. The first half is great as well, with very witty and sharp writing that feels like a throwback to Allen's earlier wisecrack comedies and that was part of the appeal. In typical Allen fashion as well there is a lot to say on issues and relationships and it's done insightfully. The three main characters are compellingly drawn. Sadly, the second half doesn't match up, the pace sags, the writing is not as witty and sometimes take a patronising approach and the characters that made the first half entertaining disappear and are forgotten about seemingly. And while as said the acting is fine, Lovitz and Rappaport did deserve more to do, Elaine Stritch is pretty wasted and I wasn't enamoured by Hugh Grant here either, his character was underwritten and the performance felt too much of a self-parody. The story is not as interesting in this half either with some plot strands underdeveloped and clumsily resolved. In conclusion, enjoyable, well made and performed but lesser and uneven Woody Allen. 6/10 Bethany Cox

One of the in between ones good but not great

[phd_travel · 5/10 · 6 November 2012]

The premise and basic situations are funny. The accidental way they became rich and the nouveau riche aspirations provide laughs.

The laugh out loud moments are there but they are a little bit spaced out and extend beyond the laughter stops. It's a bit of a "one joke and variations" for the first half and another for the second. There just isn't enough good dialog throughout.

Tracey Ullman is convincing and has comic timing and delivery. Hugh Grant is suited to his role but his lines are a bit obvious. Elaine May does the idiot well. Woody himself isn't too old looking yet.

I think Woody's movies became excellent from Match Point onwards with original and vibrant movies like Whatever Works and Midnight in Paris. Small Time Crooks is good but not great.

Hilarious!!

[torified · 10/10 · 4 May 2003]

I thoroughly enjoy watching Small Time Crooks over and over again because the humor is so goofy, yet so timeless. This is classic material, derived from the style of comedy that Woody so loves...the old masters, the Marx Bros. and other old-time greats. I recommend it to everyone.

An attractive Woody Allen film, joyfully absurd and witty.

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 March 2024]

Ray Winkler (Woody Allen) is a "small-time criminal" with big dreams; nevertheless, he's actually a dishwasher. Then, Ray , the blue-collar turned crook, decides to become rich by robbing a NYC bank. Problem is, he teams up with various bumblers to pull off the heist. As he recruits his manicurist wife (Tracey Ullman) and some clumsy coworkers (Michael Rappaport, Jon Lovitz, Tony Darrow) and quits his job as a dishwasher to open a cookie shop next to a bank. He sets up a business as a front to hide the crime that turns out to be more successful than the hold-up it was supposed to hide. And while his wife runs the cookie store, he and his co-workers work in the basement to break into the bank. Wealth comes from an unexpected direction and helps him fulfill his dreams. As a result of some mishaps, the couple accidentally gains fame and fortune only to find it doesn't suit them at all. Explodes with big-time laughter.! They took a bite out of crime!.

Allen writes, directs and stars in a funny comedy in which he returns to the mocking spirit of his beginnings, such as Bananas, The Sleeper and Take the Money and Run. In fact, Woody Allen places a large gumball machine in one of the opening scenes to create a link between his role, Winkler, and the bungling criminal Virgil Starkwell from his other film Take the Money and Run (1969). In this film, Small Time Crooks (2000), highly praised by critics, he plays an inept ex-convict who plans to become a multimillionaire thanks to the money he tries to steal from a bank, setting up a cookie store as a front, but the deal turns out better than the robbery. Co-starring Tracey Ulman, a renowned comedy actress with several awards. Ullman, as usual, is endearing and sympathetic. Woody Allen claims he chose Tracey Ullman because she is one of the few comedians who makes him laugh. Also notable are the lousy thieves played by Jon Lovitz, Michael Rappaport, Brian Markinson and a large cast that includes Hugh Grant as a smarmy art dealer and well-bred snob trying to make a profit while teaching the lower classes some couth and Elaine May, among others.

The soundtrack is filled with Allen's beloved jazz and big band tunes. Adding evocative and colorful cinematography by Chinese Fei Zhao, Yimou Zhang's regular cameraman. This comedy-thriller is full of silliness and ridiculous situations, being competently acted, written and directed by Woody Allen. Hauled by some as Allen's triumphant return to his stylings of old , this comedy 'Small Time Crooks' actually just seems some slow and dated, but decent. In his beginnings Woody made generally hilarious films in which he often acted, such as: "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", "Take the money and run", "Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You", "Sleeper", "Everything You always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask¨, among others. Later he created several masterpieces, including a series of films in which he provided good direction, putting enough care, wit and warmth such as : ¨Crimes and misdemeanors¨, ¨New York stories¨, ¨September¨, ¨Radio Days¨, ¨Hanna and her sisters¨, ¨Broadway Danny Rose¨, ¨Zelig¨, ¨Stardust memories¨, ¨A midsummer Night's Sex Comedy¨, ¨Interiors¨, ¨Purple rose of Cairo¨, ¨Manhattan¨, ¨Annie Hall¨, ¨Melinda Melinda¨ and many others . Rating: 6.5/10. Better than average. The film will appeal to fans of Woody Allen's films. Well worth seeing.

don't get me wrong - I'm a huge Woody Allen fan, but...

[ajdagreat · 1/10 · 2 February 2002]

A friend of mine saw this movie and despised it. This was the only Woody Allen movie he had ever seen. When "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" came out the next year, I asked him if he wanted to see it, and he said, "No, I don't like Woody Allen."

The moral of my story is, if this is your only experience with Woody Allen (or, for that matter, if "Jade Scorpion" is your only Woody experience, which wasn't that great either, but much better than "Small Time Crooks"), see one of his other movies. Sleeper. Zelig. Bananas. Love and Death. Annie Hall. Hannah and Her Sisters. Crimes and Misdemeanors. Take the Money and Run. Even Manhattan, which I personally didn't like too much, but I admit, it is classic Woody, and a great movie whether I liked it or not.

"Small Time Crooks" is just a bad movie. Every performer is entitled to some bombs. "Small Time Crooks" had a nice ending...but it occurred about 30 minutes into the movie. Then the movie took a drastic turn, and by "drastic" I mean "BOOOORRRRING." I wanted to fall asleep at this poorly-written plot and these mediocre performances. This is not one of Woody Allen's greats. This isn't even a good movie. This is crap, and I didn't laugh once. Please. See a few of the aforementioned Woody Allen movies instead, or some of his other classics; the man is a comic genius, after all.

Absolutely Fabulous!

[poopsiy · 13 February 2001]

This movie is one of those rare gems. A movie with great, seamless performances, a solid story, and a hysterical script. This is one of those movies that you literally need to rush to the video store to rent.

Elaine May is one the most unrelentingly hilarious woman that is so underrated that it should be a crime. The woman is the definition of FABULOUS.

Tracey Ullman is a goddess. She could read a phone book and make it funny. Thats how good she is!

A MUST see! Rush to the store!

Rambling but successful comedy.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 18 March 2007]

It's divided into three parts. (1) Woody and an inept gang set up a cookie store as a front, to be run by Woody's wife, Tracy Ullman, while they tunnel through the store's basement into the bank next door. (2) The robbery fails but the cookie store succeeds beyond anyone's imagination and Woody and Tracey become rich. (3) Tracey falls for a phony art dealer and Woody takes up with his sister-in-law, May, Elaine May. When the cookie franchise goes bankrupt the couple get together and it all ends happily.

The first part seems somewhat detached from the rest of the movie. Most of the main characters disappear from the film in the two later sections. It's almost a film in itself. And actually I think it just about was -- called "Larceny, Inc." back in the 1940s.

Part two is transitional and is the most nearly serious (and least amusing) part. Ullman wants to learn how to be classy from Hugh Jackman but is flatly unable to overcome her innate vulgarity. My God, her taste is awful. Woody is forced to wear clothes that are in themselves lessons of dissonance -- a royal blue jacket with canary yellow trousers. He refuses to look at a wall on which an abstract expressionless painting hangs and has the butler read him the time from the clock hanging next to the dreadful thing.

The third part revolves around Woody's plan to switch a cheap fake for a terminally expensive necklace at a fancy party. The plot is silly but Elaine May carries the day as a complete dodo. Some of the gags are simple minded and others a little more complex. I'll give an example of an exchange between May and a guest at the formal party that illustrates both kinds of jokes. May has been ordered by Woody to keep quiet and play lookout and to say nothing except maybe about the weather. Something like this.

May: "There's a warm front moving over the city." Guest: "You know, you're the most charming woman I've met since my dear, departed wife. I noticed you when you first entered the room, the way you carried yourself." May: "You can't carry yourself. That's physically impossible." Guest, laughing: "Really, you remind me so much of Helen." May: "Who's Helen? Was she your wife or just some woman who died?" Later May tells Woody: "He said I reminded him of his dead wife. I assume he meant while she was still alive." There's still another reference to this exchange but I think I'll quit.

This is one of Woody's better recent comedies. He's the nervous street-wise schlub that he was in "Broadway Danny Rose." If you liked that one, you ought to enjoy this one.

Here Come The Cookies

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 30 June 2015]

Woody Allen and Tracey Ullman play a husband and wife team in Small Time Crooks who hit the big time, but purely by accident. Allen who is as the title says, a small time crook who has done small time in the joint and has collected a gang of misfits just like him. Probably he saw the famous Edward G. Robinson classic Larceny, Inc. where Robinson and his associates buy a luggage store because of its location next to a bank where the plan is to tunnel from the store basement into the bank and rob it. Naturally Allen claims this as his original scheme.

But to do that Allen has to have a business and that's where his bimbo of a wife Tracey Ullman comes in. She has one talent, she bakes some really out of this world cookies, cookies that Famous Amos would envy. They catch on and even when a cop catches Allen and his crew breaking into the bank he wants in on the business, the cookie business.

But these rather unsophisticated Small Time Crooks who are all of a sudden fabulously wealthy find that it doesn't wear well on them. Both Allen and Ullman become targets of all kinds of big time crooks. Ullman has this lizard of an art dealer/gigolo played by Hugh Grant putting the moves on her. As she is the one with the recipe for the cookies, the money is all in her name. Woody in the meantime finds a sympathetic ear in Elaine May.

As Small Time Crooks was getting started I thought I was watching a remake of Larceny, Inc. I thought I was watching a remake. But Woody Allen took it way beyond what Warner Brothers had in mind for that 1942 film. He and Ullman are a perfectly matched pair and in a weird way they show that money might buy happiness, but happiness means different things to different people.

It's not Allen's best effort, but Small Time Crooks will definitely find an audience. It sure did with me.

Small Time Movie, But Not Bad

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 12 June 2006]

I'm not one to challenge the argument that Woody Allen's films in the past decade ("Match Point" excepted) have been well below the standards of his work in the 1970s and 80s. I don't believe, however, that all of his films since, say, "Mighty Aphrodite" in 1995, have been worthless. There was quite a bit I liked about "Celebrity" (1998), even if I was the only one, and there's likewise much to enjoy in "Small Time Crooks."

This film was marketed as a throwback to Allen's zany, screwball comedies of the early 70s, like "Bananas" or "Sleeper." But it actually may surprise you as a much more substantive film than you are expecting, thanks almost exclusively to Tracy Ullman's marvelous performance as Allen's brassy, rough-edged wife, who unexpectedly finds herself ensconced in a high-class (or at least extremely wealthy) lifestyle. She is hilarious when called upon to be, but she also brings a lot of depth and compassion to a role that could easily have been nothing more than a broad caricature. After years of making do without his best recurring leading lady, Diane Keaton, Allen has finally found a worthy successor.

Grade: B+

Small Time Crooks with big time laughs for Woody fans.

[=G= · 6/10 · 24 December 2000]

"STC" is a fun romp through the up and down life of a small time bungling thief (Allen) and his ex-stripper wife (Ullman). This unpredictable film features Allen's signature nonstop stuttering dialogue and situational humor mixed with some site gags. Most will regard this as a funny above average film. A must see for Woody fans.

Fabulous!

[goatbilly · 10/10 · 7 April 2020]

A wonderful pairing of two great comedic actors. Why Tracy Ullman & Mr. Allen have not made more films together is a mystery as they are perfect together. Loved the silliness but realistic aspects of the plot. It happens all the time in real life--sad but true. Great supporting actors! No doubt will watch it again & again when in need of a good giggle!

Did Anyone Else Think The Plot Went In The Wrong Direction ?

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 9 December 2005]

!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!

A Woody Allen comedy featuring a scam where his character Ray Winkler and his wife Frenchie buy a florist shop next to a bank so they can tunnel through the wall into the vault and steal the money . Not actually a bad premise and I had everything nailed down as to how the plot would develop: Neurotic hen pecked idiot hires an incompetent gang and we the audience are treated to a light weight though amusing example of sods law where everything that can go wrong will go wrong but that's not really how the story pans out

Unfortunately once the plot twist of the Winklers turning the former florist shop into a bakery which then becomes a massive success I found myself thinking SMALL TIME CROOKS itself became less of a success since it veers into a direction I didn't expect it to take . We're also introduced to an English character played by Hugh Grant but maybe I shouldn't use the word " character " in the sentence because Grant is unable to play anyone in a film except himself . Can producers stop hiring him please since I've had enough of his cartoonish English fop since FOUR WEDDINGS AND AN UNDESERVED MOVIE CAREER

It's not a bad movie but by the same token it's miles away from being a great one and would have worked much better if it had stayed to the task of having the world's worst bank robbers trying to tunnel their way into a bank

Terrible waste of time and talent

[cheahcw · 1/10 · 3 July 2000]

It is hard for me to believe that someone who directed and wrote "Purple Rose of Cairo", "Crimes and Misdemeanours" and "Hannah and Her Sisters" -- three of the best films ever made -- could come up with this. I haven't seen a Woody Allen film in ages and judging by some of the viewer comments about this being better than his recent fare -- I'm glad I haven't. This is a terrible film -- plotless, predictable, childishly silly, extremely unfunny and a waste of the wonderful comic talents of Tracey Ullman. I couldn't wait for the movie to end.

An underrated masterpiece

[roystephen-81252 · 10/10 · 7 February 2016]

To me, Woody Allen is at his best when he makes us laugh and cry at the same time. When I first saw this film in the movie theatre, I found it thoroughly entertaining, but more in the same vein as his "early funny ones" than his later, deeper work (Crimes & Misdemeanors, Husbands & Wives and the like). Upon repeated viewing, though, I realised I had been wrong. It is light-hearted and funny on the surface, but much much deeper than it first seems. It has really grown on me since and has become one of my favourites. The cast are all superb, from Tracey Ullman to Hugh Grant, even Woody gives one of his best performances of his career. Highly recommended for both fans of Woody's funny ones and of his more serious dramas.

Good, not great Woody Allen

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 30 May 2000]

Hey, Woody Allen's doing comedy again! After his Ingmar Bergman phase and his woman-hating movies he's finally back at doing what he does best. The lines are pretty good--there are a few real howlers. Tracey Ullman is uproarious as Allen's wife, May is adorable as a very dumb woman and Allen is good--he's just getting a little old for this. The plot has problems--it's not consistently funny, three main characters disappear completely after the first half-hour and there are some needlessly cruel jabs made at Ullman's character. Also the story has no bearing in reality whatsoever. Still, it's funny and well-made. Worth seeing, but try to catch it at half-price--it's really not worth $8.00.

Not his best.

[barberoux · 5/10 · 12 February 2001]

I was rather disappointed with "Small Time Crooks". The jokes fell flat and the main characters did not invoke any positive feelings for me. The story was OK if somewhat predictable. The supporting cast was good but used too little. Elaine May was just irritating. Tracey Ullman was good and probably the most rounded out character in the movie. She also looked great in stretch pants, rounded out I would say. I am a Woody Allen fan and I have enjoyed his movies in the past but this one, unless you are a real fanatic, is not worth watching.