Review: Knockaround Guys
Genre: Drama
MPAA rating: R (for violence, language and some drug use)
Release date: 2002
Cast: Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, Andrew Davoli, John Malkovich
Directed by: David Levien, Brian Koppelman

They say that the sins of the father are often visited upon his son. Never is that truer than in Knockaround Guys, a dark comedy opening today.

Yes, the lead characters and wannabe mobsters pay for their dads' mistakes, but so does any member of the audience who sits through this overdone piece of piffle.

Knockaround Guys drags on for what seems like an eternity, with most members of the cast leaping at the opportunity to really take their roles over the top and chew the scenery.

Some films, such as Face/Off, have a kitschy charm when the actors do that. Guys isn't one of them. Watching Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich try miserably to be Italian crime bosses is akin to watching a pro athlete play beyond his most productive years.

That's not to say that these two talented character actors have their best days behind them, but it's quite evident that they've had better roles and performances.

Malkovich acts as if it's his first season in summer theater. He exaggerates everything about his portrayal of mob boss Teddy Deserve.

And Hopper just seems out of sorts with an accent phonier than a three-dollar bill.

But these two normally engaging presences are the least of the problems with Knockaround Guys. Start with a script that uses every wise-guy cliche ever seen on celluloid — including the son trying to rise from behind his father's shadow.

That's what faces Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper of Saving Private Ryan), a college-educated guy who just wants to work as a sports agent.

Unfortunately, Matty must contend with all of New York City knowing whose progeny he is. I have no idea why he didn't just flee to a part of the country where his family name isn't well-known, but, hey, it's in the script.

After having their noses tweaked by the mainstream, he and his friends, Marbles (Seth Green) and Chris (Andrew Davoli) set out to make their name in the mob. Another friend, Taylor (Vin Diesel), has already created a place for himself in the world of organized crime.

Matty goes out of his way to get Marbles, a licensed airplane pilot, a job flying money for his father across the country. On the very first job, Marbles loses the cash in Montana. Matty realizes that the mistake could come back to haunt him, so he, Marbles, Chris and Taylor meet.

They have to find a way to get the loot back, and that means taking on the local sheriff (Tom Noonan of Manhunter and The Last Action Hero), who plans to keep it.

After I sat through Knockaround Guys a second time, it was clear why this one languished on the studio's shelves for more than 18 months.

Directors Brian Koppelman and David Levien — relative newcomers — maintain a glacial pace. You can see that they're trying to scratch beneath the surface of their characters so the audience grows to know them, but they aren't even close to succeeding. And that's primarily because of the insipid dialogue undermines any credibility this story would have had.

The cast is into the story, but the only character with any degree of honesty is Diesel's Taylor. He knows who he is and isn't afraid to deal with the reality.

Pepper as Matty tries to pull it off, but in the end, it's much ado about nothing because his portrayal comes off as forced. Green (the Austin Powers movies) is there for comic relief, but the laughs are spare. As for Davioli (Welcome to Collinwood), his role has a tacked-on feeling, as if Koppelman and Levien decided they needed another character to round out the cast.

When you think about it, Knockaround Guys has a lot in common with its characters. They want to be something they're not. This one tries desperately to succeed, just as Goodfellas and other mobster-related flicks did, but it's nothing more than an impostor.