Matchstick Men
Roy (Nicolas Cage) is just another con-man with problems, a host of mental problems ranging from obsessive-compulsive disorder to panic attacks. When his drug supplier suddenly skips town and is in need of some medication, his partner in crime Frank (Sam Rockwell) recommends a therapist he knows. Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman) strikes up a conversation with him and it soon becomes known he has a daughter named Angela (Alison Lohman). The encounters Roy has with Angela soon become crash courses in fatherhood as she comes by to stay with him. At the same time, Roy and Frankie are setting up a long con with a rich guy (Bruce McGill) dealing with foreign exchange. If it goes well, millions will be earned. Inevitably, these two storylines will combine. The outcome, on the other hand, is not so predictable.

Like I've said before, I've read the book by Eric Garcia prior to watching the film and I'm happy to see the screenwriters, the Griffin brothers, and director Ridley Scott mostly stay faithful to the book, aside from the ending and the effort to make it a little more comedic and easier to follow. There were a lot of things to keep track of in the book and to watch it on screen, complemented by the performances of these actors, was such a joy to watch. Cage particularly shows his range as a neurotic neat-freak to a clueless but caring father to accomplished con-man, something hard to balance. Rockwell plays his funniest role to date and Lohman shows both the poise and spunk of a 15-year-old teenager, a role 24 years in the making. While the ending somewhat works for this movie, as the book's ending works with only the book, it doesn't in the sense that everything seems right at the end of this whirlwind. It was nice to see, but wasn't necessary. But what is necessary is to appreciate this film for its ability to tell one truly great story in a truly great way. 3.5 stars