Kiss Toledo Goodbye

Comment: I originally thought that Christopher Walken was worth watching in virtually any movie....until I had the misfortune of seeing him in this bomb. Despite a reasonably capable cast, including the usually reliable Robert Forster, at no time did the script or concept of this "movie" ever rise to the level of high school play.

Where does it go wrong? Time and space prevent a full discussion of all the flaws, but let's start with the casting. Imagine that you are recruiting actors for a supposedly sort-of-real-but-funny gangster movie and you have employed Christopher Walken to play a part. Since he is the absolute king of all quirky-scary-funny-gangster actors, he will be your lead character....right? No, instead lets pick Michael Rappaport....that's right, Michael Rappaport....to be the star and give old reliable Chris the meaningless role of background flunky. Next, lets portray all the gangsters as either loveable dolts or completely incompetent fools who, despite being hired assassins, are never able to hit a single target, but are all easily shot, beaten, and outsmarted. None of the villans are dangerous simply because they are all so idiotic. Physical scenes and shootouts are poorly staged and completely absurd. If all involved were wearing clown suits they would be booed out of a circus.

Enough flogging of this dead horse. It is a genuinely lousy movie and I strongly recommend that you spend your time and money elsewhere. Save up for a root canal or a colonoscopy.....either would be more enjoyable than this 90 minutes of ill conceived foolishness.

Comment: all i wanted to comment on was the fact that the creators of this film seemed to do absolutly no visiting of toledo. whereever it was that they shot this movie looks nothing like toledo and nothing referenced or shown in the film is in toledo not even the skyline shown in the film. i mean couldnt they just shoot the film in toledo for crying outloud or atleast try to learn about the city before trying to represent it on film. the movie itself was horrible too but with a great cast. i just was so upset as a toledo filmmaker myself that they would disrespect my city so much by ignoring it and using the name in its film.

Comment: Now THIS is a real stinker of a movie. Everyone involved in this mess should be ashamed of themselves. And where did they find this cast? I've never seen such a pitiful collection of mouth-breathers assembled in one movie before. Poor Christopher Walken. Hopefully, this was a lucrative payday for this has-been. What a waste of talent!
One last comment.....is it just me or, does the female romantic lead (I believe her name is Christine Taylor) have the ugliest hands in show business? UGH!...she should wear gloves.

Comment: Is a "predictable mess" an oxymoron? If not, that is a perfect description of this script. There was not one surprise in the plot past the first scene. But the performances of Robert Forster and Christopher Walken diverted my attention enough so that it was a pleasant experience. Forster did a wonderful job considering the completely unbelievable character he was saddled with, although his accent needed improvement. Of all the gangsters I've seen Walken portray, this one was the most delightful. His boyish charm as a cold-blooded gangster made for hilarity every time he was given the spotlight. If the entire movie had been watching Chris, it would earn five stars. But whenever the focus is shifted to another character the film sank. Michael Rappaport and Christine Taylor were adequate, but only a thespian as gifted as Walken can get through so preposterous a script with dignity intact.

Comment: The film Kiss Toledo Goodbye is amazing fun. Set initially for major release and then sold to Starz! Premium Cable Network and marketed as a Starz Picture, the film is lighthearted and fun. Where the script falters or the continuity stalls, the viewer is left with hysterically right-on performances by Michael Rappaport, Nancy Allen, Christopher Walken, Christine Taylor and Robert Forster. This "mafia comes to Toledo" comedy is one that any organized crime enthusiast would enjoy. Regretably, the DVD format is basic and doesn't include extras (cast and director interviews would have been especially appealing)