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A Warner Bros release. Written and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo; starring William Macy & Sam Rockwell. Released to DVD on March 17, 2003.  In most heist movies or big-budget action flicks, there is one character who supplies the grand majority of comic relief. This character is called upon to make wisecracks about politically incorrect topics and to bring a comedic element to the proceedings in a variety of buffoonish, Homer Simpson-esque manners. Welcome to Collinwood differs from the majority of heist films because it is entirely populated with this type of dopey, loveable loser. A remake of the captivating Italian film Big Deal on Madonna Street, Welcome to Collinwood follows the efforts of small-time thieves Riley (William Macy), Leon (Isaiah Washington), Toto (Michael Jeter) and Pero (Sam Rockwell) to pull off the perfect crime: robbing a pawnshop with hundreds of thousands of dollars in its safe by breaking in through the neighboring building. Adapted and directed by brothers Joe and Andrew Russo, Welcome to Collinwood is not without charm or humor. Macy, Rockwell and Washington are all obviously relishing their opportunities to satirize the more hardcore criminal characters they’ve played in previous projects. The movie is stolen however by Jeter (who played Mr. Udesky in Jurassic Park III). Jeter’s Toto is the dimmest lightbulb in the group; as proof, Toto spends nearly the entire second half of the film pantless, clad only in an oversized sweater and baggy, dirty briefs. Jeter plays the character practically begging for the audience to laugh at him and little prodding is needed. Rather surprisingly though, Welcome to Collinwood sticks very closely to the script used in Big Deal on Madonna Street, virtually exhausting the need for anyone who has seen and enjoyed the original to spend any time viewing this somewhat inferior remake. On its own two feet, Welcome to Collinwood was a differently paced project with some quirky charm. Compared to the original, this quickly loses most of the appeal it once had.
jackson casey yes, it's true: Superstar George Clooney has a small part in Welcome to Collinwood. Clooney appeared in this one to give it a marketing edge because he and Steven Soderbergh produced the film too. | |||||
