This is a fine film, well written and well-acted with several deft directorial touches that will probably go unnoticed by the majority of viewers. (The baseball scene, anyone?) It is respectful of its subject matter, which is the re-adaptation period of an ex-convict to his former life. I found it more akin in nuanced subtlety to Fench comedies than anything made in America recently. It strives for realism and emotion while avoiding over-the-top mayhem and improbable situations. Sigourney Weaver is fascinating to watch in comedy mode as always and Tim Allen is believable in his part. I also liked that Tim Allen's crime was electronic pirating, a reality that is seldom even mentioned in Hollywood films. It's a given that all American comedies must rely on misunderstandings but, given that cliché, I think the trip to France cover story for Allen's incarceration was well-handled and (for once) not offensive to any foreign nation. I rented this DVD out of despair for the lack anything interesting on the horizon and was pleasantly surprised. I don't understand that it didn't make any impact on the box office given its star power and general appeal. This is another one of those little gems that can only be classified as "too good for America".
P.S.: The film got a Zero score on the Tomatometer by Critics and Top critics and a 62 % score by the community, which is an indication of how far removed those critics are from their public. What this means, of course, is that the public likes Tim Allen in whatever he does but that the critics choose to penalize him when he does something totally unpretentious. The IMDb user ratings also show two major disconnects: the first between men and women (men liked it, women didn't, probably because Tim Allen is not conventionally pretty and he acknowledges the differences between the sexes) and US and non-US users, proof that it helps to be non-American and not know anything about Tim Allen to recognize excellence and like this film.
P.S.: The film got a Zero score on the Tomatometer by Critics and Top critics and a 62 % score by the community, which is an indication of how far removed those critics are from their public. What this means, of course, is that the public likes Tim Allen in whatever he does but that the critics choose to penalize him when he does something totally unpretentious. The IMDb user ratings also show two major disconnects: the first between men and women (men liked it, women didn't, probably because Tim Allen is not conventionally pretty and he acknowledges the differences between the sexes) and US and non-US users, proof that it helps to be non-American and not know anything about Tim Allen to recognize excellence and like this film.