Loosies (2012)

Beautiful, moving film.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

What an awful film, I seriously can't believe how many people seem to inexplicably have liked this as shown here by the amount of positive reviews. The script was poorly written, misogynistic, clichéd, horribly paced, and just all around boring. At some points I just had to laugh at the beyond ridiculous lines and their abhorrently acted deliverance. If this wasn't the last straw after "Twilight" that banished Peter Facinelli to guest staring on B-rated TV, I don't know what was. I'm also sad to see Jamie Alexander relegated to this trite and uninspired piece, she deserves so much better. I hope no one ever has to suffer such a nauseatingly low budget feel, with horrid music choices, an awful script, and sadly unrealistic ending that made me feel no resolution or satisfaction. If I could give this zero stars I would.

The movie is about a young pickpocket. It's written right there, in the tagline. If you have watched any of the trailers, then you already know the story. Therefore if one is to enjoy the movie, that must come from funny moments, intelligent dialogue, exciting action or special effects, which in Loosies, are non-existent.That doesn't mean the movie is bad, it just means it is certainly not good. I might consider it a story that was not interesting at all, but said right.Bottom line: it has an indie flick feel, with all the fashionable songs in the soundtrack and the movie tricks to make things look more alert or to say a longer story from flashbacks. It's like somebody really wanted this to be good. Unfortunately the story of a pickpocket that finds love and it all works well for him because he has nice eyes is completely boring. Girls won't even like it.

"Loosies" is an unexpectedly excellent movie that received zero hype, but made it onto Showtime's movie rotation, which has allowed me to view it multiple times. I've found that only truly great movies can survive multiple viewings, as you get the opportunity to really dissect the screen writing, editing and acting, and only the strong survive such close scrutiny. The casting is one of "Loosies" strongest points, starting with Peter Facinelli as the lead, and whom is apparently the main driving and creative force behind the picture, as he is listed with Production and Screen writing/Story credits.Facinelli would be difficult to cast as a truly malevolent villain, as his handsome face is so naturally open and friendly and he is possessed of an enviable comic timing that he uses with restrained subtlety in the role of Bobby, the Pickpocket-With-a-Heart-of-Gold. He surrounds himself with a tight group of the industry's greatest character actors.Facinelli's hero is bookended by two well-written and played villains: the lizard-like Vincent Gallo as the amoral, fatally greedy psychopath and criminal Jax, with Gallo pulling out all the "Gallo stops" and playing the dirty bathrobe-wearing Jax with a greasy glory; and Jax's opposite, Lt. Nick Sullivan, a bent cop with as much villainous ill temper as Jax, played by the always-great Michael Madsen, with a seething, explosive anger just barely below the surface. These twin poles of evil bedevil Bobby throughout the movie, and make for the high amount of tension between the main characters that drives the tightly written plot forward.Lastly, is Joe Pantoliano, cast against type as the deceptively nebbish Carl, whom ends up being the hero's loyal sidekick after a number of amusing trials. Gone is the typical Pantoliano Italian-American swagger, instead replaced with a touching sweetness backed up with a well camouflaged, non-macho toughness. At the end of the film, bobby and Carl, at first at odds with each other, have become fast friends, and I felt truly happy about Bobby's future without it being spelled out for me.I was particularly impressed by the Gallo's character, Jax. This is a meaty role, and Gallo, kind of nutso in his own right, really digs in. He thrives on being a boorish bully and wildly overestimates his own intelligence and sophistication as he surrounds himself with a pathetic crew of sycophants who are even more stupid than Jax,but just barely.Bobby uses Jax's stupidity and greed against him, as he carries out a very clever plan that relies entirely on smarts as opposed to physical might. Watching this plan unfold is among the most entertaining scenes in the film. Jax is drawn in by Carl's mention of $500K of diamonds, and his greed blinds him to many obvious signs of warning. After Carl skillfully grabs ahold of the wad of cash in Jax's hand that was intended to be just for show, Jax is forced to realize that his supposedly carefully laid trap for Carl might not be so invincible. The bitter and annoyed sideways glances Jax gives to Carl in the taxi are priceless.Even at the point when he should be happy about getting away with a huge score, Jax manages to still be cruel and selfish as he cuts Bobby out and doles out a pathetically small portion to his comrade, being mean and nasty as he always is. Jax only shows happiness when he is either exercising his bully power over someone or when he thinks he's getting away with something; he showed such greasy satisfaction when he turned Bobby in to the cops, with no embarrassment at all at being a snitch, something that in his world would be a huge crime.The final Jax scene, when his door is bust open by Lt. Sullivan and his group of thug cops, is doubly satisfying as Jax gets what's been coming to him for years from such an unsavory character as the Lieutenant. And Lt. Sullivan, who was so obsessed with catching the cocky criminal who stole his badge and paraded it around town, is catching the wrong guy, which is also satisfying as you don't want such a nasty, bent cop to succeed.The combination of very well-drawn characters perfectly cast with an airtight, fun plot makes this movie as good as it is. I've now seen it about 8 times, and have not yet grown tired of it. I highly recommend seeing "Loosies", with it's excellent cast, dark and sweet humor, and thrilling cops and robbers-with-a-twist plot. A true dark horse.

LOOSIES is available to watch on Amazon, thank goodness, because while it is simultaneously in the theaters it just doesn't seem to be getting the promotion it deserves - like so many other art house films that take a while to build an audience, but then enjoy a faithful following. But this film is a real find: Peter Facinelli is known to everyone as the head of the Cullen Clan in the vampire TWILIGHT series and as the goofy delusional doc on the NURSE JACKIE TV series (and from roles in a lot of small films where he didn't get the notice he deserved). But who could tell that this tall stud muffin natural comedian could also write? Facinelli came up with the story and wrote the screenplay for LOOSIES and he also stars as the main character - and he is a hands-down winner in each category. Director Michael Corrente seems to let Facinelli have the film and he plays it to the hilt while at the same time molding into a solid ensemble of fine actors.Bobby (Peter Facinelli) is a young pickpocket in New York City, snatching wallets, cellphones, briefcases and money as slick as any pro could perform. He lives with his mother Rita (Marianne Leone, wife of Chris Cooper!) and follows his life of petty crime to pay off his recently deceased father's gambling debt. All his work is turned over to Jax (Vincent Gallo), a filthy clod of a guy who berates Peter's inability to go big time in theft. Bobby is a fairly happy-go-lucky guy until he accidentally encounters Lucy (Jaimie Alexander), a beautiful girl who works in a bar but who Booby happened to have a memorable one-night stand with three months ago. Lucy confronts Bobby, Bobby doesn't remember her name, and when Lucy informs him that their little tryst created a pregnancy, Booby tries to do the right thing and find the money to give Lucy to 'take care of the pregnancy'. This leads to a serious of crazy events: Bobby needs big money, mistakenly lifts a police badge form a cop (Michael Madsen) whose boss (William Forsythe) threatens to fire him unless he can get his badge back. The 'cops and robbers' scene plays out: Lucy doesn't want to be associated with a pickpocket despite the fact there is a newly rediscovered chemistry with the changing Bobby, Bobby resents his mother's finding a boyfriend Carl (Joe Pantoliano) who owns a jewelry store, but plans a gig with Jax to work a deal with Carl to get the cops off his tail and allow him to become the guy he really wants to be.How Bobby makes his way through this complex plot is the magic of the fine writing and the first class acting by the surprisingly hunky Facinelli. Jaimie Alexander is a terrific find, and the cameo roles by Vincent Gallo, Marianne Leone, Joe Pantoliano et al are beautifully realized. 'Loosies', by the way, is the term for loose cigarettes that people can but without investing in a pack. Seeing the film, titled so appropriately, will make the audience sit up and pay attention to Peter Facinelli in a totally new realm of respect. He is VERY good! Grady Harp