Gambit (2012)
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 25
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 3
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User Ratings: 2,445
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Movie Info
Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz headline this remake of the 1966 crime caper directed by Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) and written by Joel and Ethan Coen. A British thief (Firth) discovers that no plan is infallible when he recruits a beautiful woman (Diaz) to help him steal a priceless statue from an impossibly wealthy widower (Alan Rickman). Despite the fact that his pretty accomplice bears an uncanny resemblance to his affluent target's late wife, things quickly spin out of control once the
CBS Films
Cast
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Colin Firth
Harry Deane -
Alan Rickman
Lionel Shabander -
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All Critics (31) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (25)
'Gambit' is like drinking cheap, warm champagne from a plastic cup.
Top CriticEven with a script by the Coen brothers, and a classy international cast led by Colin Firth, this contemporary London caper movie falls far short of its potential even as a lightweight comic romp.
Middling in every respect.
The right level of farce, tasteful nudity and general shenanigans for the film to not outstay its welcome, while admittedly not lingering long in the memory.
It's a fair comedy that's inoffensive and evocative of a different era, filled with enough eccentricity and sharp delivery to embrace as pleasant nonsense from two screenwriters exceptionally skilled with such buffoonery.
It's mirthless, languid and obvious. Well, you can relate.
Remade from a 1966 romp starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, this con artist action-comedy is enjoyably silly but never much more than that.
A flat-footed remake of a mildly amusing 1966 caper movie ...
Given the quality of the film, we must assume that these Coens are no relation to the siblings who make films that rarely encourage you to poke out your eyes with rusty scissors.
The mood isn't so much vintage as instantly old-hat.
In spite of its strong cast and decent premise, something feels slightly off with Gambit.
Diaz's smile lights up the screen, though her role struggles to be as much as one-dimensional.
You'll smile a few times and the cast work hard but interest and goodwill fizzles out.
Against odds the film is sometimes funny, bandying its dated tropes like a badge of pride.
Firth is nicely self-effacing and there are a few laughs to be had, but they are stunningly cheap.
An awful lot of talent has been put to waste here.
Make it stop! Make it stop! Oh please just make it stop!
It's all very dull and pedestrian, with very little tension or laughs.
Disappointing caper comedy remake that never quite sparks to life, thanks to a lacklustre script, half-hearted performances, a lack of chemistry between the two leads and precious little in the way of actual laughs.
Gambit's a mixed bowl of nuts, all told, but if there's nothing in it that raises so much as a chuckle, you may need chuckling practice.
I marveled at how old-fashioned [the humor] is, like it was dusted off from the late 1960s and rushed out for us in the hopes we wouldn't notice its mustiness...
Everything about Gambit screams unfinished. Which is a shame, because on paper it could have been the hilarious new hit comedy caper we (and the marketing team) all wish it was.
Alas, everyone involved appears to have seen it less like the next country for old men than easy money for old rope.
Audience Reviews for Gambit
Super Reviewer
I thought that the story of the British art curator Harry Deane would interest me, especially when he decides to seek revenge on his abusive boss Lord Shabandar by conning him into buying a fake Monet ("Haystacks at Dusk")... somehow during the watching that interest evaporated. Even the unpredictable Texas rodeo queen, PJ Puznowski couldn't bring it back.
This movie had its problems since beginning, and seems every single thing left a trace. Uninspiring Firth keeps his performance grounded in downbeat realism, Diaz never convinces anyone that she is a sassy trailer-park princess, and Rickman's villain has cartoon(ish) characteristics which are simply nothing plausible. If you have nothing better to do, like me, sit down and watch this with your wife...
Super Reviewer
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Latest News on Gambit
February 2, 2011:
Cameron Diaz Joins Colin Firth in GambitCameron Diaz will star opposite Colin Firth in the Coen brothers' upcoming remake of the 1966 heist...
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Foreign Titles
- Gambit, arnaque à l'anglaise (FR)
- Un plan perfecto (ES)
