PG13
The old fogies are at it again with hilarious results in “The Crew” starring Richard Dreyfuss, Dan Hedaya, Seymour Cassel and Burt Reynolds as four former wiseguys looking for a little action in South Miami Beach. They are, respectively, Bobby Bartellemeo, Mike “The Brick” Donatelli, Tony “The Mouth” Donato and Joey “Bats” Pistella. If you’re wondering why Dreyfuss’ character doesn’t have a nickname, fear not, the answer is given most eloquently in the beginning of the film.
These guys are holed up in the Raj Mahal, a rundown retirement motel that counts on the residents dying in order to up the prices for new renters As they watch bodies being hauled out and new ones moving in from their porch vantage point, they decide to give the management an old-time wiseguy-sponsored message and that’s when the confusion and fun begins.
Their antics instigate a gang war with a South American drug lord named Ventana (wonderfully played by Miguel Sandoval) and the kidnapping of Pepper, the deli-owning queen of the beach played by Lainie Kazan, hilarious with her big hair and dangling earrings.
At one point I felt the old-man jokes done in Dreyfuss voice-over were getting a little old, especially since I had heard similar ones most recently in “Space Cowboys”, but just then, they do a nice original and very funny turn that keeps the humor fresh, so I really didn’t mind the prostate jokes.
Of the foursome I was most impressed with Burt Reynolds and Dan Hedaya. Reynolds can be quite a funny guy and Hedaya’s character was a pip. Kazan and Sandoval keep things hopping. Jennifer Tilly rounds out the yucks playing her usual ditzy hooker character.
Lotta says: “The Crew” may have some cobwebs around the edges, but no matter, there’s laughs enough for all.
It’s rated PG13 for language, violence, sexuality and some nudity.