"The Con is On"

We hear stories about major heist in history books and media of how criminals outsmart people and may (or may not) get away and we hope they're caught soon, yet when we see criminals portrayed in films such as the Ocean movies or "The Heist", we often find ourselves rooting for the criminals. Because our perspective is changed, we identify with the criminals more and less with the law, an amazing power cinema can have over an audience, and this film is no exception.

Harry (Uma Thurman) short for Harriet and Peter (Tim Roth) Fox are the kind of people always taking the easy way out and enjoying the ride wherever they go, but now Harry is a hard-core gambler and Peter who you usually find looking for the next bottle of booze or drug to take find themselves in over their head.
Having gambled and used their way through thousands of pounds belonging to a dangerous drug dealer and Harry's former lover Irina (Maggie Q), they're on the run seeking the next con that can reimburse Irina and get them off the hook. Hearing about Peter's ex-wife Jackie (Alice Eve) who's married to LA film director Gabriel Anderson (Crispin Glover) marital troubles and a ring worth millions that she is wearing on her finger, they set their sights on their next target, but it may prove to be difficult having to attend to the crazy behavior of these wealthy and out of touch with reality people and the dysfunctional people around them like Gabriel's unstable assistant Gina (Parker Posey) and his celebrity mistress Vivien (Sofia Vergara) while keeping two steps ahead of Irina and her men before they meet with a not-so favorable end.

A film so far out there, you're not sure where there is. The range of colorful characters and their over the top behavior makes you wonder if this film should be on meds. While it had a strong cast of characters, their over the top behavior repels you from the very beginning and gives a poor impression of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The only highlight to the film was the mild humor that plays out during the scenes as the main characters implement their multiple attempts to pull off their heist while dealing with bumbling obstacles keeping them from their goal. All in all, this film only gets two and a half G.M.Stars. While they could con their targets, this movie blogger will not have the wool put over my eyes from seeing that this film is nothing more than a smoke screen for competing with recent films like "Ocean's 8" and couldn't make the cut.

⭐⭐½

"The Con is On" is available at Redbox and for purchase where movies are sold.