The Con Is On
| The Con Is On | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Oakley |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joseph White |
| Edited by | Anthony Boys |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
The Con Is On (previously titled The Brits Are Coming) is a 2018 heist comedy film directed by James Oakley and co-written by Alex Michaelides and Oakley. The film stars Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Alice Eve, Sofía Vergara and Maggie Q.
It was released in a limited release and through video on demand on May 4, 2018, by Lionsgate.
Plot
A British con-artist couple, Harriet and Peter Fox plan a jewel heist in Los Angeles, after escaping from a notorious gangster, Irina.[1] Harriet was paid a handsome amount of money from a nun who she dealt with during a cocaine deal. After receiving the money, she took a certain amount and played poker with it. Too bad she lost badly and had no money left. She and her husband, Peter ran to LA.
In L.A they worked for Sidney, the priest, who does dirty jobs. They made a deal for 40,000 pound sterling as a reward if they manage to transport the opium. Along the process Peter learns that Irina is not just hunting them for money but she also is seeking compensation since she started to develop love feelings for Harriet and she dislikes Peter.
Unbeknownst to Harriet, Sid made a pact with Irina. In the same luxury hotel in LA, Peter meets his ex-wife, Jackie who is now in a relationship with Gabriel, the film director, who is also having a relationship with Gina and Vivienne.
Attracted by Jackie’s ring, they plan to steal it and give it to Irina for compensation. But their plan is ruined by drunk Gabriel and Vivienne. Harry pretends to be a dog whisperer and delivers the wrong message to Jackie. Frustrated by Gabriel who dishonorably mentions Vivienne as his one true love, Jackie throws away the ring and dips into Harry glass wine. They both escape from the hotel but Harry gave away the actual ring and brought the duplicate with her.
Cast
- Uma Thurman as Harriet Fox[1]
- Tim Roth as Peter Fox[1]
- Maggie Q as Irina[1]
- Alice Eve as Jackie[1]
- Sofía Vergara as Vivienne[1]
- Parker Posey as Gina[1]
- Stephen Fry as Sidney[1]
- Crispin Glover as Gabriel Anderson
- Michael Sirow as Hanz
- Carly Steel as Journalist (cameo)
- Melissa Sue Anderson as Guest #2 (cameo)
Production
On May 14, 2015, it was announced that Uma Thurman would star in the jewel-heist comedy The Brits Are Coming, which James Oakley would direct based on his own script, co-written with Alex Michaelides.[2] Kristin Chenoweth would also star, while Cassian Elwes, J. C. Chandor, Robert Ogden Barnum and William Clevinger would produce.[2] Tim Roth, Alice Eve, Sofía Vergara, Maggie Q, Parker Posey and Stephen Fry were cast in the film on August 27, 2015.[3] It was confirmed that Dave Hansen would also be producing the film, while Chenoweth's involvement was not confirmed.[3][4] Elliott Michael Smith co-produced the production which was shot throughout Manhattan and Yonkers, New York.[5]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on July 20, 2015 in New York City.[1][6]
Release
The film was released on May 4, 2018, by Lionsgate.[7]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 0% based on reviews from 5 critics.[8][9]
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times calls the film "a stylish caper with enjoyably wry, martini-soaked dialogue and a terrific comedic turn by Uma Thurman as a glamorous British scam artist" but is highly critical of the second half of the film.[10] Matt Zoller Seitz writing for RogerEbert.com gives the film 1+1⁄2 stars out of a possible 4, saying it is "The kind of movie that seems to think a heap of outrageous details equals a characterization."[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Six More Join Uma Thurman in The Brits are Coming". Comingsoon.net. August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (May 14, 2015). "Cannes: Uma Thurman to Star in Comedy 'The Brits Are Coming' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 27, 2015). "Tim Roth, Sofia Vergara, Parker Posey & More Join 'The Brits Are Coming'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ McNary, Dave (August 27, 2015). "Sofia Vergara Joins Uma Thurman's Heist Comedy 'The Brits Are Coming'". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony. "Tim Roth, Sofia Vergara, Parker Posey & More Join 'The Brits Are Coming'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ^ "On the Set for 7/20/15: Daniel Radcliffe Starts Shooting 'Swiss Army Men', Meryl Streep Finishes 'Florence Foster Jenkins'". Ssninsider.com. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ Billington, Alex (April 11, 2018). "First Fun Trailer for 'The Con Is On' Starring Uma Thurman & Tim Roth". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_con_is_on
- ^ https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-con-is-on/critic-reviews
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-the-con-is-on-review-20180501-story.html
- ^ https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-con-is-on-2018
