Things Change (1988)

I love this movie so much

Wonderful Movie

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In David Mamet's taciturn comedy of errors a simple Sicilian shoe-shiner is hired to take the prison rap for a mob hit man, in return for anything he desires after his release (all he wants is a boat). But the plan goes quietly haywire when his minder decides to treat him to a final weekend fling at Lake Tahoe, where the old man is mistaken for a mafia don from Chicago. Any other director might have played it for easy laughs, but even in such a whimsical mood Mamet is still a very careful, very deliberate filmmaker, and he approaches each scene with the same attention to nuance emphasized in every line of his trademark dialogue. It's a comedy of smiles more than belly laughs, summed up best by Shoe-shiner Don Ameche's childlike air of bewilderment and naïve trust in everyone around him (shades of Chance the gardener in Jerzy Kosinski's 'Being There'). Nothing seems to trouble him, because he knows a secret most people take for granted: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Obviously, by my rating, you know I love this film. It is a desert island disc.I read the other reviews and have some comments. These are not criticisms of others criticisms or accolades, just my own thoughts after having seen the movie so many times.Having never been in the mafia myself (and I suspect that none of the other people rating this movie have been either), I find this work consistent with our cinematic understanding of the mafia. First of all, if the mafia does ask you for a favor which it thinks is fair sounding and you decline, depending upon the favor asked, security may demand that you be silenced (killed). Secondly, our cinematic understanding of the mafia also says that very few people, even in the mafia, truly know who, as it is put in the movie 'the man behind the man behind the man' might be. So, when the hotel staff and low level mafia flunkies (hooray for the blond WHM!) at the other end of the country, who are expecting to meet people they don't know, accept DA as someone very important, this is realistic. And with such a classic mafia stereotype as JM's character as front man, DA as shoe shine turned mafioso really sells. After all, DA is Italian and distinguished looking... as well as very old school. As for DA's new mafia friend, it is quite clear in the movie that the luck and skill of DA's character actually traversed some very high barriers to survive and flourish in the situation.While the premise of the circumstance of the ending may be predictable (I don't want to give it away), the actual final actions and outcome are definitely not expected.As for comparison to Mamet's other works, stage and screen, perhaps this isn't his "best." But in terms of appeal, it reaches many more people than most of his work... and in such a pleasing way without being daft. Entertainment and emotional appeal are not vices, even for Mamet.And just because a movie makes you smile and laugh, that doesn't make it a comedy... merely comedic. This is a dark drama, a human study, and features friendship and betrayal. Perhaps the comedic and light-hearted aspects are merely the glue that holds this piece so well together. The glue may be on the surface, but that doesn't mean it doesn't function here. Frankly, I absolutely love House of Games, but a little more comedic treatment might have even improved that masterpiece. One can like Mamet and like smiling as well.

In "Things Change" David Mamet applies his direct, unique directorial style to the classic "Being There." Each is similar thematically, and each leave the viewer with a sense of wonder and affection (for either the film or the characters), however Mamet is not quite as effective as Hal Ashby in that respect. Mamet uses his friends in many of the roles as in many of his movies, and they all fit perfectly. The cast is as strong as the writing and direction, which you know Mamet has filled with surprises. This is a movie that is entertaining and rewarding, a combination seen all too infrequently in modern films.

"Things Change" is the weakest of acclaimed playwright/screenwriter David Mamet's film directing efforts. It tells the story of an immigrant shoe-polisher (Don Amiche) who agrees to be framed for murder by the Chicago Mafia in exchange for fulfillment of his dreams once he's freed from prison. But before his arraignment he gets a three-day madcap weekend adventure at a mob-controlled Lake Tahoe casino, courtesy of an on-the-outs flunky played by Joe Mantegna. The two have a difficult relationship but form a friendship which is finally tested by film's end. It's nice to see Mantegna and other Mamet regulars (including Ricky Jay and William H. Macy) in a movie that's essentially a comedy, but they and their dialogue seem really awkward in such a silly film. Amiche fares better, and at times is the only saving grace for the film, which lacks the paranoia and psychological wrestling found in most of Mamet's films, yet is still too hard-edged and leisurely paced to get many laughs as a comedy. The late Shel Silverstein was a collaborator with Mamet on the script, which contains clever ideas but is weakly executed. The music by Alaric Jans is unremarkable; not nearly as good as the jazz-noir he contributed to House of Games or his orchestral themes for the Winslow Boy. In short, the film is an interesting comparison piece for other Mamet films, but falls well short of the high standard the others are able to maintain.