Reviews of Theft is Property 7

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  Gangster Farce proves Crime Pays
  A review of Theft is Property
  by ozmarns on 06/22/2005
  Theft is Property is terrific, a delightful gangster farce. Farce is hard to pull off, especially on screen. Some Like It Hot and a Fish Called Wanda are two of the best gangster farces ever. This isn’t quite in that league yet but it’s getting there. I’ve got a few caveats but they’re really small. Like the way the story gets rolling because of Colin taking a stand... Theft is Property is terrific, a delightful gangster farce. Farce is hard to pull off, especially on screen. Some Like It Hot and a Fish Called Wanda are two of the best gangster farces ever. This isn’t quite in that league yet but it’s getting there. I’ve got a few caveats but they’re really small.
  
  Like the way the story gets rolling because of Colin taking a stand over a stolen t-shirt. I think we might need to know a bit more about why he’s so determined to get the t-shirt back. Has he drawn a line in the sand because he’s tired of being pushed around by women or life in general?
  
  As to Mike Rose, I think we need to know how he got into the mob. Did he get into debt? What? If we know too early then it spoils the climax but I think we do need to know by the end. Seeing the way Fran goes after half Colin’s and Tom’s salaries gives an inkling but it isn’t enough.
  
  There are a few questions about pov. Colin’s voice over implies the story’s told from his pov but we see the story from other pov’s as well. It didn’t worry me until I the last act. I think it would matter less if Colin was present at Brooke’s hand over of the package. After all, Colin getting the package back is the expectation you’ve set up in Act 1. And we want him to be there. We want him to have his moment of triumph and score an apology. And then it is funnier when he’s once again been duped.
  
  We also need to know how Fran is shot by his own bullet. It doesn’t have to be realistic. But ‘a penny dropped from a plane’ cuts across what could be a good laugh line. It could be as simple as ‘what goes up must come down’. Then you could lose that scene with the crime lab.
  
  If you do another draft, I think you should be looking at your laughs. Because I suspect there are even more to be had. For instance, you could milk the chase more. I love Colin’s panic, the way he keeps indicating etc. I don’t think Amy should break a sweat during it. Her swearing etc undercuts the humour of Colin’s panic. I think it could be funnier if she’s calm but very in command – like a teacher with a five year old. The pursuit needs to end on a gag. Why not turn the pursuers getting stuck behind a bus into a visual gag? read
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  Could not stop laughing
  A review of Theft is Property
  by samassey on 06/21/2005
  This was a very clever screenplay. Having the drab Minneapolis singles scene mixed into mob vengence was a stroke of genious. When you try to pull a fast this is what is gonna happen to you. I like how nobody dies and Mike doesn't actually shoot Fran. I don't want to give it away but the ending is real clever. Four stars from me.
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  Stylish and slick.
  A review of Theft is Property
  by Dodgeball on 06/16/2005
  This script has some nice things going for it. I love the style and attitude of Colin's VO and the multiple, fast-paced storylines that all intertwine. It's remniscent a bit of "Lock Stock and two smoking barrels" and "Trainspotting" and "Confidence." I liked what happens to Fran too. So often in movies do we see someone shoot their gun in the air, so rarely are there consequences... This script has some nice things going for it. I love the style and attitude of Colin's VO and the multiple, fast-paced storylines that all intertwine. It's remniscent a bit of "Lock Stock and two smoking barrels" and "Trainspotting" and "Confidence." I liked what happens to Fran too. So often in movies do we see someone shoot their gun in the air, so rarely are there consequences. Only notes I have would be to suggest you have this read aloud by some actor/friends. There are some dialog passages that could be tightened up and trimmed. Sometimes Colin gets a little wordy with his VO when glib would probably be better, and more stylized. I didn't buy Rags being so readily subservient to Mike, seems like he'd be more into consolidating power for himself rather than being someone's "lap dog", especially if he's been conspiring against Fran for months. I like the whole maguffin of the t-shirt thing, though you set it up in the beginning as more important via Colin's VO than it should be. In the first 10 pages you should really be setting up the key players in the story, so perhaps the t-shirt thing shouldn't be accentuated quite so much to the point where it's really the only thing we're trying to discern import and meaning from (because, frankly, Colin instructs us to). But other than that, it's got some fun parts and the dialog is pretty darn strong. Good job. read
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  Fairly Funny Concept, But Not Fully Exploited
  A review of Theft is Property
  by dpiechowski on 06/16/2005
  I really enjoyed the first few pages after the tease open with the murder. Colin's voice overs describing Brooke, the incident with the shirt being stolen, is a very funny idea. I like that Colin and Tom are obsessed about retrieving their insignificant valaubles from this man-eater. It's an obvious symbol of getting back the piece of themselves she took from them, and frankly,... I really enjoyed the first few pages after the tease open with the murder. Colin's voice overs describing Brooke, the incident with the shirt being stolen, is a very funny idea. I like that Colin and Tom are obsessed about retrieving their insignificant valaubles from this man-eater. It's an obvious symbol of getting back the piece of themselves she took from them, and frankly, I think you could have crafted an entire film out of this, with Brooke being the antagonist, and Colin, Tom, and perhaps a parade of exes trying to get their stuff back, and going to increasingly hysterical and complex ways to do it. "That's not the point" was a very funny, very effective joke.
  
  I didn't like the Fran character, Mike, Amy's father being in the mob, etc. I just thought that stuff did not seem to ring true or feel authentic. I enjoyed the beginning so much, I got a little dismayed as the mechanics of this mob storyline began to take over. It just didn't work for me. I didn't believe Colin was really a reporter - we didn't see him using his skills as one, and it didn't feel like his personality. Having Mike say he didn't kill Amy's father kills the tension that should exist between the old friends - you only manage to get a few pages of suspense from this, and then it's all explained. Mike is in the mob, but you took great pains to keep him morally clean and not have him kill - he's in the mob, he's going to have to do morally unclean things if it's going to be believable - even if he does have a heart of gold.
  
  I think there is a good comedy ready to be spun from the Brooke character and that concept, but the mob storyline does not feel authentic, distracts from the good things you've done, and just takes the script somewhere that does not feel natural. I found myself enjoying the odd moments and characters, but not the story. read
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  Good parts and messy ones
  A review of Theft is Property
  by Amadeo on 03/17/2004
  I like the story. It's a light comedy in a way. The problem I have at the beginning is that is a bit confusing. The characters are pretty plain. I never get their ages, how they look like, etc. At one point Colin and Tom are serious, then funny, then kind of stupid. Make the characters more clear. You don't have to put their names in capital letters every time you mention... I like the story. It's a light comedy in a way. The problem I have at the beginning is that is a bit confusing. The characters are pretty plain. I never get their ages, how they look like, etc. At one point Colin and Tom are serious, then funny, then kind of stupid. Make the characters more clear. You don't have to put their names in capital letters every time you mention them in the action. Only the first time is more than enough. Always in capital letters is for theatre. I really like the chasing part, very funny. I could picture the moment. Over there I got how the characters were. It needs to be more specific with the characters. I love the joke of the Princess Bride. I don't know if everyone is going to get it, but leave it. You have a couple like that and I really like them. The script needs a character polishing and maybe bit more description of the places (the bar description is more than fine). read
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  Very nice
  A review of Theft is Property
  by torin006 on 03/12/2004
  As opposed to what the first review said, I was immediately puled into this story by the opening. The plot was almost a Big Lebowski type movie, driven by a simple desire to get a crappy item back, but different enough for me. The dialogue was very okay, but the narration I thought was written well. the structure of the whole piece was excellent. The ending was good I thought... As opposed to what the first review said, I was immediately puled into this story by the opening. The plot was almost a Big Lebowski type movie, driven by a simple desire to get a crappy item back, but different enough for me. The dialogue was very okay, but the narration I thought was written well. the structure of the whole piece was excellent. The ending was good I thought. A few good twists. I would make the dialogue a little tighter, then see what othes have to say. Good job overall. read
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  Comedy or Satire?
  A review of Theft is Property
  by bettclan on 03/11/2004
  I nearly put this down. Nearly. The start didn't fgrab me at all and I found the conversation between Amy and her father completely unbelievable. You nearly lost me there. I kept going though and there are indeed some good parts to this, good concepts and some little twists in the plot that make it interesting. I'd certainly like to see this movie, if only for the soundtrack... I nearly put this down. Nearly. The start didn't fgrab me at all and I found the conversation between Amy and her father completely unbelievable. You nearly lost me there. I kept going though and there are indeed some good parts to this, good concepts and some little twists in the plot that make it interesting. I'd certainly like to see this movie, if only for the soundtrack. That might be one negative point though because there were just so many music piece requirements. I didn't find the mob characters/behaviour very convincing and it looked odd that not only does everybody have ordinary names, but everyone is using first names all the time, even the mob talking about people they're going to kill. Some of the dialogue is great and there are some good comic lines for Colin and Amy in several middle scenes (though it gets overdone in several places). Get in late, leave early in all dialogue. Fran's death is implausible I fear. A bullet wouldn't do this, it might give him a big knock on the head, but wouldn't actually 'shoot' him. Check the timing too. I estimate about two minutes of flight time. The handover of control to Mike doesn't grab me then either. Is there another possible ending? read