Jess (Robbie) is desperate to learn con-artistry from third generation fast-talker Nicky (Smith), so she follows him to New Orleans in the week before a football championship. Since she has unusual talent, he lets her join his crew as they fleece gullible fans swarming the streets, then involves her in a bigger, riskier gamble. But Nicky promptly disappears, and Jess only reconnects with him three years later in Buenos Aires, where he's working a Formula One scam with a team owner (Santoro) and his right-hand goon (McRaney). And this time the stakes are much higher.

There's an odd inconsistency to the characters, as Ficarra and Requa shift the movie from a heist adventure into a darker drama and ultimately a romantic comedy. Smith has an enjoyably loose quality as Nicky, plus eyebrow-arching muscles, but his shift from heartless thief to lovelorn puppy feels so fake that it surely must be a con. And the same goes for Robbie's gung-ho, naturally gifted Jess, who seems to be up to something nefarious, so we just wait for the other shoe to drop.

That the script isn't very clever is both a frustration and a relief. There are plenty of twists in the story, but never one that feels like movie manipulation. Ficarra and Requa are far more interested in the messy dynamic between the characters to worry about making the various heist set-pieces too surprising. Still, each one is fun, from the bustle of New Orleans Mardi Gras to a skybox gambling frenzy to the ultimate surprisingly violent showdown.

So while the film is enjoyable, it never quite makes good on its promise to properly wow us. Scenes are packed with comical touches and awkward interaction, and there are a few cool revelations along the way. But without characters who feel truthful, there's little to grab hold of. And ultimately no point to the story. It leaves us thinking that there must be a more blackly hilarious early version of this script in which Nicky isn't remotely sympathetic. Now that's a film we'd like to see. And one Smith would never star in.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

10.Feb.15