With his directorial follow-up to his noteworthy debut “House of Games,” David Mamet takes a step back with “Things Change” (1988). It does have twists that made me sit up and take notice in the final moments. But it’s short on memorable Mamet-speak, and it doesn’t illustrate the contrast between sweet-natured shoe-shiner Gino (Don Ameche) and low-on-the-totem-pole gangster Jerry (Joe Mantegna) as crisply as I would’ve liked.
Gentle and reflective
Watching “Things Change,” I knew what Mamet and co-writer Shel Silverstein were aiming for, but they don’t totally win me over. That said, it’s a gentle film with a reflective, slightly melancholy score by Alaric Jans, and it’s hard to hate it. Rather, I’d say it’s an interesting early experiment in Mamet’s catalog.
The Mob – and it’s very much an ephemeral group here – strikes a deal with Gino, who looks like one of their members who is wanted for murder. If Gino confesses to the murder and serves the sentence, they’ll give him a tidy payoff. They need a few days for their man to split Chicago, and for Gino to memorize the details of the murder, so they assign Jerry to stay with Gino in a hotel for those few days.
“Things Change” (1988)
Director: David Mamet
Writers: David Mamet, Shel Silverstein
Stars: Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky
The next portion of “Things Change” isn’t spelled out as clearly as it could’ve been. Despite being a low-level mobster, Jerry apparently has access to the company plane, so he flies with Gino to Lake Tahoe to have some fun, rather than sitting in a cheap Chicago hotel. Some sort of misunderstanding – somehow triggered by a limo driver (William H. Macy) – leads the hotel to believing “Mr. Johnson” (Gino) is a top-level mobster, so they show him and Jerry every consideration.
Not a tight enough bond
In a wilder movie, these would be hilarious misunderstandings, and then we’d get insane gags in the casino. But “Things Change” doesn’t intend to be that movie, and Ameche plays Gino as a gentle and simple soul.
When the big mob bosses coincidentally arrive at Tahoe for a meeting, all the stress is on Jerry; Gino isn’t bothered by the stakes, even though his life is on the line too. The ensuing troubles – notably a big set piece of sneaking out of the hotel before the mob bosses spot them — are played for the stress they cause Jerry, rather than for laughs.
Mamet doesn’t construct a tight enough bond between Gino and Jerry, and the chemistry isn’t quite there between the actors – even though I like both characters. Gino is too decent at his core to be disliked, and Jerry is bolstered by Mantegna’s disarming charisma, also seen when he plays a con man in “House of Games.”
The final moments of “Things Change” are excellent, and would’ve been the cherry on top of a better movie, as Jerry’s bosses add one more task to his assignment and he finds himself caught between his bosses and his new friend. Mamet’s message that life is ironic and that “things change” – good times turn bad, and vice versa – is well taken. But while there is an appealing gentleness to the feel of this movie, it’s doesn’t have enough hard edges to make it stand out among his catalog.
