Best Laid Plans (1999)

One of my all time favorites.

Absolutely Fantastic

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

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

"Who's created this problem? Someone is gonna get hurt, Bryce. It's just a question of who."There's nothing really special about Mike Barker's Best Laid Plans, but somehow it manages to remain slightly interesting during its short runtime. There's something about 90's neo-noir thrillers that manage to captivate me and although this film isn't up to par with some of the better movies in the genre (the best example that comes to mind is the Wachowski's Bound), I still appreciated it for its nostalgic value and some decent performances. Alessandro Nivola delivers a solid lead performance and I don't think he's ever been better than he was here. It's a shame he didn't get more opportunities to star in better films and has only gotten mostly supporting roles. Reese Witherspoon wasn't that big of a star as she is now, but you could tell by her work here that she would get places. It would be nice to see her in more roles for thrillers like this one. The greatest flaw of the film is that it relies on one too many twists and once you get the feel of what the screenwriter was trying to do you can basically guess what the next twist is going to be. Ted Griffin's script still managed to entertain although it's not a story that will stick with you after you watch the film. It keeps you engaged throughout most of the first half of the film, but then it begins to unravel up to the climactic scene, that's just way too silly even for the 90's.The film opens with a diner scene between two old college friends that are getting together for the first time in years. Bryce (Josh Brolin) is in town for a few days house sitting for a wealthy family, and so he has decided to phone Nick (Alessandro Nivola) to meet up with him. While the two are having a couple of drinks together a beautiful girl named Kathy (Resse Witherspoon) walks in. Nick receives a call from his girlfriend and says he's got to go, but Bryce stays and ends up taking Kathy home with him. Later that night Nick receives a desperate call from Bryce asking him to come over to his house. He says Kathy has threatened to go to the police claiming he has raped her. He has absolutely no recollection of what happened, but after going through her purse he discovers she's only 16. Bryce didn't know what to do so he handcuffed Kathy in the basement and is hoping Nick can help him. He wants to talk to her alone so Bryce lets him and that is where we discover that everything was a setup and that Kathy's name is actually Lissa and she's Nick's girlfriend. The film then shifts four months into the past where we are introduced to how Nick and Lissa met and the predicament they get into after making a deal with some small time local criminals (played by Terrence Howard) which gets them in even more trouble as the twists begin to pile along the way. For all the twists and turns that Barker takes his audience through, the film ends up disappointing by trying to wrap things up a bit too nicely at the end. You get so used to the dark atmosphere and the betrayals that it becomes pretty evident what direction the movie is going to take at the end. I still enjoyed the ride although I wasn't pleased with the destination, but the performances are engaging enough to still make the experience worth the while. There's just something about the 90's neo-thriller vibe that always seems to engage me. There's not much more to add about this film, give it a try if you're a fan of the cast or the genre, otherwise skip it because it's pretty forgettable. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

Two elaborate deceptions, a nicely twisted plot and a collection of crooked characters are just a few of the fascinating elements of this intriguing thriller in which rape, blackmail and theft feature strongly. Flashbacks, double-crosses and the presence of people with unreliable identities soon place the action firmly in film noir territory and its well-balanced combination of suspense and humour also ensures that "Best Laid Plans" is extremely entertaining to watch from start to finish.A young man called Nick (Alessandro Nivola) is desperate to leave the small town of Tropico, Nevada where he grew up and when his father dies, expects his inheritance to enable him to leave for good. A problem arises, however, as it soon becomes evident that he'll actually receive nothing at all because of the back taxes that his father owed. Shortly after this disappointment, one of his colleagues at the Tropico recycling plant offers him the chance to be the getaway driver on a no-risk robbery and the prospect of earning a quick $10,000 is just too good to turn down. Unfortunately, the victim of the robbery turns out to be a violent drug dealer who wants to be repaid $15,000 within a matter of days and isn't open to negotiation.Coincidentally, one of Nick's old college friends, Bryce (Josh Brolin) returns to Tropico at about the same time and is house-sitting a mansion for some friends of his wealthy family. Nick and Bryce meet at a local bar and towards the end of the evening, just as Nick leaves, Bryce picks up a girl and takes her back to his place to spend the night. In the early hours of the morning, Bryce phones Nick in a state of extreme panic and asks for his help. At Bryce's temporary home, he explains that the girl he met at the bar has accused him of rape and is in possession of an I.D. that confirms that she's underage. To make matters worse, Bryce responded to her accusation by dragging her downstairs to his basement and handcuffing her to a pool table.It transpires that, the events that took place between Bryce and the girl are part of a plan to get Nick out of the trouble he's in but he and his girlfriend Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) soon find themselves in even more serous trouble before a further series of twists lead the story to is surprising conclusion."Best Laid Plans" is easy on the eye with some striking shots of the local bar and diner and a colour palette that's perfect for the type of story it tells. Nick is a typical noir character who finds that everything he tries to do to get out of the tight spot he's in, only makes matters worse. Alessandro Nivola gives a strong performance as this rather cold, uncaring guy whose flawed judgement is his Achilles heel and Josh Brolin is convincing as the conceited English teacher who's frantic with worry about his own predicament but doesn't have an ounce of concern for anyone else.Reese Witherspoon plays the story's most sympathetic character as she makes some extremely uncomfortable compromises in order to help the man she loves and carries out her part in scamming Bryce with consummate skill. Her ability to convey the many facets of Lissa's personality is both impressive and subtle and provides this enjoyable movie with one of its strongest features.

I have only seen the version that plays on TV on the channel FX, but there is a yellow sign that says "play sex games with a child" in black lettering, and there is also more text below it but I could not read it. Also there are two stick figures, one adult looking down at a child. I swear on my life that this is really in the movie, and it was viewable in the scene for like 5-10 seconds where there was metal fencing, I think the recycle plant, but not sure. I am trying to think of a good reason this was in the movie, perhaps some kind of joke or a warning sign. This kinda tripped me out and I really want to know why the hell this was in the movie. I searched google but found nothing, I am going to download the movie, and take a still frame, I will call it "best-laid-plans-sexgames", so search that name on google, I will post to a few hosting sites. I saw this movie a few times, but did not see the sign until today when I watched it.

A mild-mannered blue-collar worker stuck in the minimum-wage blues plots to steal a valuable document from the estate where an old college friend is currently housesitting; he gets his girlfriend involved, but will vengeful thugs spoil their plans? Not so much a psychological thriller as a shaggy dog story, a black comedy filled with indecisive, unbelievable losers. Ted Griffin wrote the screenplay, and his dialogue is mind-bogglingly ludicrous (at one point, frustrated Josh Brolin cries, "I just wanted to get laid, instead I got f****d!"). This low-level of wit permeates everything in the scenario, turning nearly all the plot-points into dumb red herrings (the peanuts, the cigarette fire, the neon signs, even the song playing on the car radio!). Reese Witherspoon co-stars, and she's green enough to go along but professional enough not to look very enthused about it. The male leads are filled by Alessandro Nivola, a Jeremy Piven lookalike with a tight little smirk, and Brolin, who continually talks too loud and seems unsure what to project with his body language (he alternately stands stock still or moves about waving his arms). There's always a stupid-clause in pictures like these (with the proviso being, if there wasn't one--there would be no movie). Here it arrives with Nivola giving Brolin a ride even though he doesn't want him along. Brolin's excuse for coming: he's hungry. I was, too, after watching this fatally undernourished modern noir. *1/2 from ****