Latest Article|September 3, 2020|Free
::Making Grown Men Cry Since 1992
1 min read
Set the time machine for 1974 and make like a jewel thief in Aram Avakian’s 11 Harrowhouse. Charles Grodin plays Howard Chesser, a likable everyman who, along with his thrill-seeking girlfriend Maren (Candice Bergen), conspires to pull off the largest diamond heist in history. The story is silly but the pacing is fast, so the whole thing goes down like a box of Junior Mints. One of the things that makes it work is Grodin’s wisecracking narration popping up here and there throughout the film. His wry observations, while never gut-busting, are amusing, comfortable and seemingly ad-libbed, like a distant cousin of MST 3000. The voice-overs fall just short of distracting at times, but also take the edge off some overly long car chases and whatnot. Our all-star cast includes James Mason, John Gielgud and Trevor Howard.