The Whole Nine Yards is the third Warner Brothers comedy in the past year to explore the comic possibilities when a regular honest guy finds himself embroiled in the affairs of unsavoury mobsters.
But Analyze This (a shrink meets the Godfather) and Mickey Blue Eyes (a Brit marries the Godfather's daughter) were both set in the New York Mob scene and utilized familiar, Gotti-esque characters as the bad guys.
The Whole Nine Yards is more broadly comic. Its villains are crazy caricatures in a plot that's half-scam, half-farce. Bonus points for originality: it's largely set in Montreal.
That is where dentist Oz Oseransky (Matthew Perry) maintains his practice, an exasperating job since he works hard to sustain his despicable French-Canadian wife Sophie (Rosanna Arquette, employing the worst Quebec accent since Margot Kidder's character Danielle in the movie Sisters).
Life is just one long bad dream for Oz, until he meets his new neighbour, Jimmy Jones (Bruce Willis). Then it becomes a full-fledged nightmare.
Jimmy Jones is the alias of Jimmy (The Tulip) Tudeski, a notorious Chicago hit man who is hiding out after ratting on his Mob boss. Oz recognizes him and tells his wife about the Tulip's true identity. Bad idea. She decides Oz can pay off her huge family debt by informing Jimmy's ex-boss about his whereabouts.
Thus, Oz gets deeper and deeper into the life of Jimmy, his Hungarian ex-boss Janni Gogolak (Kevin Pollak), his former killer confederate Frankie Figs (Michael Clarke Duncan), and Jimmy's estranged wife Cynthia (Natasha Henstridge), whom Jimmy wants dead. The only one in Oz's corner is his spunky dental assistant Jill (Amanda Peet), who turns out to be more dangerously resourceful than anyone imagined.
It's Oz's wish that no one get killed. Let's just say he doesn't get his wish.
But director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny) keeps things light and tight. Since the tone of the film is so farcical, one doesn't have to contend with the irksome mobsters-are-people-too mentality of Analyze This and Mickey Blue Eyes.
Also, the Canadian setting provides a few self-conscious laughs as expatriates Oz and Jimmy commiserate over the phenomenon of mayonnaise on hamburgers.
Perry (who is Canadian) finally gets to translate his Friends-honed comedy skills in a feature film. He's a formidable nervous klutz, and the underplaying Willis graciously clears the way to let him do his bumbling thing.
As for the ladies: Arquette is grossly miscast, except for the fact that her character is something of a sexpot. (Hey, Ms. Casting Director, allow me to introduce you to French-Canadian sexpot Pascale Bussieres.) Henstridge (also Canadian) is sincere and sincerely gorgeous. But Peet emerges as one of the most delightful female characters in the film, and I don't say that just because she bares her breasts.
And, yes, her nudity does happen to be necessary to the plot.
(This film is rated AA)
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