The Crew

Too many crooks spoil The Crew, and I'm not talking about the "grumpy old mobsters" played by Richard Dreyfuss, Burt Reynolds, Dan Hedaya and Seymour Cassel in this withering wiseguy comedy. I'm talking about the throng of sardine-packed subplots that rob these good actors of all their quality screen time. There's a drug dealer who wants their heads, a stripper who wants her stepmom whacked, a cop who is one guy's long-lost daughter, kidnappings, staged killings, old fart gags, mobster mockery, clichés galore, design-by-committee scripting, and a climax that leaves loose ends flapping around like the upper arms of the crew's bingo buddies. Now I ask you, where's the comedy supposed to fit in all this? The movie's only 88 minutes long, for cripes sake, and still includes co-star turns from Carrie-Anne Moss, Jennifer Tilly, Lainie Kazan, Miguel Sandoval and Jeremy Piven. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—May 15, 2018—Kino Lorber, 88 min., PG-13, DVD: $11.95, Blu-ray: $19.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 2000’s The Crew features a decent transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1 audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by director Michael Dinner. Bottom line: this disappointing comedy makes an unremarkable debut on Blu-ray.]