Things Change

1988

Things Change

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

83%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 12

79%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 725

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Movie Info

Perhaps it was his collaborator Shel Silverstein who said to screenwriter David Mamet "Lighten up. Do a comedy." Whatever the case, Things Change was a welcome change of pace for Mamet, both as scenarist and director. Don Ameche also goes against his usual grain by playing a downtrodden Chicago shoeshine boy (if one can call an 80-year-old a "boy") who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Not having much of a future anyway, Ameche has agreed--for a hefty sum--to take the rap for a gangland rubout. Mob henchman Joe Mantegna is assigned to keep an eye on Ameche over the weekend to make sure he doesn't try to weasel out of his agreement. Mantegna has been ordered to remain in Ameche's Lake Tahoe hotel, but the young guy takes a liking to the old loser. Like Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail, Mantegna takes Ameche on one last fling around Nevada. The location photography is terrific, and Ameche even more so. One would like Things Change to be equally as good, and while it never comes up to its potential, it remains a pleasant means to while away 100 minutes.
  • Rating:
    PG (adult situations/language)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    David Mamet
  • Written By:
    David Mamet, Shel Silverstein
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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Cast

Don Ameche
as Gino
Joe Mantegna
as Jerry
Robert Prosky
as Joseph 'Don Giuseppe' Vincent
J.J. Johnston
as Frankie
Ricky Jay
as Mr. Silver
Mike Nussbaum
as Mr. Greene
Jack Wallace
as Repair Shop Owner
Dan Conway
as Butler
Willo Hausman
as Miss Bates
Gail Silver
as Housemaid
Len Hodera
as Ramone
Josh Conescu
as Bellenza
Jack Merrill
as No Pals
Adam Bitterman
as Marcotti
William H. Macy
as Billy Drake
Steve Goldstein
as Randy
Sarah Ekhardt
as Cherry
Karen Kohlhaas
as Grace
J.T. Walsh
as Hotel Manager
Dick Cusack
Robert Bella
Vincent Guastaferro
as Kenny
Felicity Huffman
Natalija Nogulich
Scott Zigler
Lionel Mark Smith
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Critic Reviews for Things Change

All Critics (12) | Top Critics (1)

View All Critic Reviews (12)

Audience Reviews for Things Change

  • May 16, 2012
    Nine years after Hal Ashby's quixotic 1979 tale of mistaken identity, Being There (with Peter Sellers as the humble gardener), Mamet followed with his take on the same subject, throwing in the Mob and its code of honor (!!!) for comic spin. Joe Mantagna is the family flunky chosen with cred enough to babysit a shoeshine boy and he's credible if underwritten. Ameche, though, is the whole film, carrying the whole piece. I thought he understood it better than Mamet pretended to ...
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Jul 17, 2008
    It's got that Mamet touch!
    Anthony V Super Reviewer
  • Sep 03, 2007
    From the moment you watch Don Ameche's face, you instantly know this will be a humble, honest and heartwarming story. David Mamet changed his register here, in his second film. A sweet comedy with crystalline acting, writing and direction.
    Pierluigi P Super Reviewer
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