Mr-Fusion I guess I went into "Oscar" with low expectations because you never hear this movie discussed, either as a Stallone or a John Landis movie. But I really did like this. I knew it had something with that stop-motion opening. Give Sly credit, he throws himself into the jokes (this is saying something; I've seen him shuffle through some movies), and the timing is a big reason why the movie works. And Landis stuffs the movie with great supporting talent. Even still, Peter Riegert stands out.With a lesser director, this probably wouldn't have worked. But it does, and I think as a Stallone experiment in slapstick comedy, it's a successful effort.7/10

moonspinner55 1930s gangster "Snaps" Provolone makes a deathbed promise to his papa that will he go straight; one month later, with his goons disarmed, Snaps is trying to get on the board of directors of the bank, but his former cronies think he's planning something big; meanwhile, Snaps' sheltered daughter is pretending to be pregnant by Oscar the chauffeur in order to get out of the house. Busy, fairly laughless farce, adapted from Claude Magnier's play by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland, hopes to evoke the screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s, but needed a far more nimble touch (and a likable troupe of players) to succeed. Here, director John Landis plays traffic manager with his hammy cast, encouraging them to flail away and mug without funny characterizations (it's all gangster shtick). An over-rehearsed Sylvester Stallone has the lead; his clipped line readings aren't fresh, and one can see right away that henchman Chazz Palminteri would do much better with the part (Palminteri's scene emptying his pockets-- a cartoonish, familiar gag--manages to get the biggest laugh). Stallone isn't much of a comedian (he's too heavy-spirited), and "Oscar" isn't much of a comedy, although one can fixated on the picture watching scene after scene fizzle without benefit of precise pacing and delivery. *1/2 from ****

sol- Attempting to "go straight" proves unexpectedly challenging for a Prohibition Era gangster in this comedy of errors from John Landis. The leading role goes to Sylvester Stallone, who does remarkably well with the part (he is goofy yet believable as a much-feared mobster) given how much of the film relies on his incredulous reactions to all of the absurdity occurring around him. The supporting performances are a tad uneven, with Marisa Tomei a little too shrill for her own good and Vincent Spano bland in a role akin to Ryan O'Neal in 'What's Up, Doc?', however, on the flipside, Chazz Palminteri, Peter Riegert and Eddie Bracken are very, very funny. And then there is Tim Curry, whose giddy take on an American Henry Higgins needs to be seen to be believed. He has some of the best lines too as Palminteri takes "oxymoron" for an insult and as he apologises and turns around to retuck his shirt after Curry comments "you've got a dangling participle"! Some of the mounting coincidences as the film moves along admittedly push the bounds of credibility, but that is part of the fun as the film highlights everything that could possibly go wrong with turning one's business legitimate. The film also features a delightful animated opening credits scene and for a G/PG rated film (depending on which country you live in), the film successfully implies quite a bit without ever explicitly stating it.

DominicDMaestro But it wasn't this movie! Award Winning Cast! Probably Stallone's best opportunity to break away from the Rambo and Rocky images, this is one of the most enjoyable, pleasant, family entertaining movies ever made.Where is should be a classic, it was deep-shelved and removed from any video, DVD or online streaming lists. But as the movie's own tag-line said: "In crime and comedy, timing is everything".While Stallone takes center stage, this beautifully arranged supporting staff, wonderfully done cinematography and brilliantly written script make this a movie for the masses that should have had a 2nd and 3rd life in video and DVD sales... and would be one of the most viewed videos on Netflix given the chance.Just the sound bytes of Tim Curry's Dr. Thornton Poole, Peter Riegert's Aldo, Chazz Palminteri's Friendly thug Connie...If you don't catch yourself off guard laughing and this fast moving quippy dialog, you are missing your humor gene.