fedor8 "When you learn to respect your father, then maybe I'll let you look like a whore." – Guzman, talking about allowing his daughter to get a tattoo. The second-funniest line in the movie.DiCillo has such a knack for comedy; for clever, subtle-yet-hilarious satire, so it's a pity that he has only once gone all-out with it, without including the unnecessary drama. "Living In Oblivion" is his best film by far, and one of the funniest movies of the 90s. Unfortunately, he has an urge to mix it up a bit, even though the comedy always dominates, which is the prime reason none of his movie since LIO were as good.Casting Leary and Buscemi, an excellent decision, yes. But writing Leary's part in such a way that he has to cry in one scene? That's asking for trouble. You can tell Leary struggled hard to pull it off, and he barely did. He looks as if something got stuck in his eye. He must have hated that day of shooting. Never ask a comedian to cry - the audiences don't want to see it. Liz Hurley was certainly a strange choice for Leary's love-interest but she worked out surprisingly well.As the fun plot trots along DW touches on a variety of topics in a smart, unpretentious and humorous way, topics such as reverse racism, whites making fools of themselves when speaking Ebonics, the laughable but trendy tattoo-and-piercing culture, or the silly French obsession with symbolism in film. No cheap left-wing propaganda anywhere in sight (a real rarity these days), but a realistic, funny, down-to-Earth look at decadence and abject stupidity.Having the "bad guy" detective be right about the murder case (i.e. his suspicions about the daughter's involvement), as opposed to having Leary the "good guy" detective be the one with all the right answers, is just one example of how DiCillo avoids stereotypes thereby eliminating a crucial factor that causes boredom in movies. His characters are colourful and different, not the kind of walking cardboard cutouts we get to see in most other films."Just a bunch of MORONS poking holes in themselves!" – Leary, talking about the piercing craze, the funniest line in DW.

lastliberal I can't believe how stupid I have been all these years relying on doctors and pills. Why should I suffer in pain when I could have some hot chiropractor like Elizabeth Hurley crawling all over me? I just have to make an appointment.This was not an ordinary cop picture. Sure, Denis Leary and his partner, Steve Buscemi are trying to solve crimes, but they are really trying to straighten out their messed up lives. Leary's back causes him to be the laughing stock of the city, and allows the other cops to get a good laugh; especially Chris Noth, a big favorite of mine.Leary seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time until he is hooked up with two whack screenwriters that can't even see a good scene when they are in it. It is then that he gets the guys that attacked Luis Guzmán and becomes the hero.Lots of laughs in this film written and directed by Tom DiCillo.

aqua_swing Ah, Denis Leary movies. They're always up for either fun and silly (The Ref, Suicide Kings), the kind of movie to make you nauseous (Two if by sea, Operation Dumbo Drop), or completely unexpected (Final). When you mix all three of them you tend to think you're bound to get something good, but alas, you get disappointed. Here's where Double Whammy sets in. This is one of those kind of movies that has no plot and is filled with watchers saying "Hey, it's that guy!", and that's probably the most fun you get out of this one, save the occasional laugh where-be there are a bunch of things I've never seen in a movie before. But the rest of the movie was complete and utter boredom. It was like when you watch Quantum Leap and go "AUUUGH another lame part!", only this was the whole movie. Howabout I add in the fact that other than the main two characters, there was NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! The only reason it got two stars was because the chemistry between Hurley and Leary made me feel okay.

GeneJasper I was reading through the comments about this movie and could not figure out why people were badmouthing it the way they were. I remembered this movie to be quite good and wanted to refresh my memory so I went out and rented it again. After seeing it a second time, I went ahead and purchased it.This is a very funny movie with some witty acting and a great indie style. I think most of the people here that are rating this movie so poorly must be looking for the standard Hollywood blockbuster, made with tons of money and only ounces of heart. If that's what you want, go rent Gladiator or the Matrix (both of which I loved as well). But if you are really into films themselves and not just high dollar special effects, then go out and rent this fun and humorous picture.