‘GAMBIT’: A FUN ART HEIST MOVIE WITH COLIN FIRTH!

Zany comedy seems to be the new “it” factor that appeals to movie goers these days (that and remakes, both characteristics this title falls into). Sometimes it pays off, other times it’s a bit of a disaster.

Gambit (2012) Film Review

Harry Deane (Colin Firth) has a plan. It’s a good one too. His brilliance revolves around conning his one-of-a-kind-jerk-of-a-boss Lionel Shahbandar (Alan Rickman). Working for Lionel, he comes to realize he underappreciates Harry and still expects the impossible from him. As an art expert, Harry is responsible for authenticating all of his boss’ expensive pieces, and in order to make his plan work, Harry must bait the trap.

In order to pull off the con, he’ll need to recruit an American Texas cowgirl, PJ (Cameron Diaz), who also happens to be a descendant of the man who once owned Lionel’s Monet. As this plays in his mind, and maybe a perfect world, the plan works like clockwork, without flaws or setbacks. In reality, Harry finds this may be more than he can pull off.

FILM REVIEW | ‘Red 2’: High Action in a Comedy Sequel

When I saw this sitting on the video store shelf (yep, this is from the olden days of movie rentals), it immediately caught my eye because of its British talent and then there was the sunny-looking Cameron Diaz on the cover. This then made me think Diaz and Firth were something of an odd pairing albeit one I needed to see. With the promise of light-hearted escapism, I went ahead and added it to my rental stack. The results are, overall, worth the fee.

To set the stage, this reminds me in some respects of Wild Target (with Emily Blunt and Billy Nighy). Between its wacky characters and humor, there are similarities. That said, I think overall, Gambit is really much more entertaining. Anyone who likes Colin Firth (Pride & Prejudice, The King’s Speech) will get a kick out of seeing him in so drastically a different role as well as seeing his interplay with Cameron Diaz (because… really, who would have ever put them together in a film?). He plays a proper British gentleman, who is just a little bit of a bumbling goofball albeit a very likable one… and still, despite everything there are a few surprises thrown in here and there.

The beginning is somewhat hard to get into just because they don’t film in a kind of linear way. Instead we see the stage set as Harry imagines it versus what really happens. The script also keeps Cameron Diaz silent during this sequence and a narrator sets up the stage for will come. Beyond this point, things pick up and there is plenty of wacky fun to be had; including a lion, a chair that won’t move and some fun hotel mischief. What does this all mean? Find out when you run through the strategies with Gambit.

(Disclosure: this post does contain affiliate links; if you buy anything through these links, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you to anyone who makes a purchase through these links. Read the disclosure page for details.)

Find Gambit digitally on Amazon Video

CONTENT: there’s two instances of male nudity, one instance is frontal and uses a statue as a “play” for laughs to cover anything inappropriate. The second scene is a full shot of backside nudity, there is some innuendo [a hotel manager assumes something that isn’t true]; and a woman brings a man up to her hotel suite [she’s seen in her underwear], then the scene cuts to the next day without telling or showing anything else. There may be a minor profanity or two. The film is PG-13.