Synopsis
A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Nicolas CageRoy Waller
- Sam RockwellFrank Mercer
- Alison LohmanAngela
- Bruce AltmanDr. Klein
- Bruce McGillChuck Frechette
- Jenny O'HaraMrs. Schaffer
- Steve EastinMr. Schaffer
- Beth GrantLaundry Lady
- Sheila KelleyKathy
- Fran KranzSlacker Boyfriend
Recommendations
- 80
The A.V. Club
A combination of criminal smoothness and overloaded neuroses, Cage pulls off the lead role better than any actor imaginable. - 75
Rolling Stone
Credible? Not really. But Cage and Rockwell play off each other with devilish finesse. And Lohman (White Oleander) is on fire -- she's a comer. - 75
Chicago Tribune
This movie is a model of technique, beautifully crafted, often brilliantly acted by Cage and the others, but it's a bit hollow at the center. - 70
Dallas Observer
That's where the movie falters: It tries to give Garcia's book a heart and conscience it didn't need and never demanded. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
Actually, there's one other way to approach Matchstick Men, and that's to forget all about neuroses and con artistry and admire the movie instead for the unsettlingly beautiful directorial study in geographical mood that it is. - 60
Variety
Odd mixture of ultra-sleek visuals, psychological probing, "Paper Moon"-like father-daughter swindling, self-improvement efforts and abrupt tough-guy stuff keeps the picture percolating, even if it seems too artificial to genuinely convince on an emotional or dramatic level. - 60
Newsweek
Scott's finesse can't entirely disguise the mechanical nature of Nicholas and Ted Griffin's script, which has one too many twists for its own good. Fun while it lasts, but it's a bit of a con job itself. - 60
Village Voice
Single-dad sitcom is not Sir Ridley's forte but, anachronistically evoking the ring-a-ding-ding ambience of "Auto Focus" and "Catch Me If You Can," his mise-en-scène is as impeccable as Roy's pad.
