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Unrated
Cast: Jason Ritter, Jake Sandvig, Chandler Canterbury, Rebecca Hall, Carrie Preston,
Director: ,
Genre: Drama, Comedy,
A Bag of Hammers revolves around the friendship of two charming grifters, Ben and Alan, played by Jason Ritter and Jake Sandvig. Ben and Alan have built a successful though larcenous business, posing as car valets, only to steal the vehicles instead of parking them. Because of their less-than-ideal childhoods and a "job" that allows them to remain likeable boyish rogues well into their 20's, their penchant for crime is almost forgivable. However, everything changes when they meet a twelve-year-old boy named Kelsey. Neglected by his mother, Kelsey is drawn to Ben and Alan and they to him--eventually, Kelsey becomes part mascot, part protege. His presence ultimately forces Alan and Ben to choose between a life of crime and fun (an extended childhood) and the opportunity to grow up and deal with the emotional consequences that come with it. -- (C) Official Site
Brian Crano's very slight debut of a comedy.
Mr. Canterbury's character is a Hollywood child archetype: wan and withdrawn, all monosyllables and needy stares.
Woven amid the glib one-liners and contrived scenarios is an unexpected, and undeniably touching, sense of heart.
Most of it seems baffled and unclear. Some nice ideas floating around in here, but A Bag of Hammers is one of the few movies I can remember that appears to be composed mainly of outtakes.
The real scam was the filmmakers tricking Rebecca Hall (and a cameoing Amanda Seyfried) into participating in this blunt instrument of an indie.
A few striking performances-Ritter, Preston, and Canterbury are especially great-smooth out what might have been a much bumpier ride.
First-time feature helmer Brian Crano maneuvers some tricky tonal shifts with impressive ease in A Bag of Hammers, a droll, quirky comedy with a pleasant amount of heart.
It's too little, too late for Crano's Wes Anderson-inflected innocence-disrupted project...