Welcome to Collinwood

The entire immensely talented cast of this caper comedy is clearly having a good time playing criminal washouts who know more about their own local-crook jargon than they do about breaking and entering. But you get the feeling that having a good time took precedence over making anything more than an insubstantial romp designed to entertain themselves. Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, George Clooney, Isaiah Washington, and Andrew Davoli employ the cheeky comic instincts they've honed, often together, in films by David Mamet and/or Steven Soderbergh (who produced this picture with Clooney), while working on this heist-gone-wrong flick that admittedly provides some laughs. But even at 86 minutes it's a case of too little too infrequently, making this an optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include the 12-minute making-of featurette “Welcome to Collinwood: Uncensored,” text definitions and etymologies (helpful for Collinwood's “unique lingo”), cast and crew film highlights, a trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a slim extras package for a slight effort.] (R. Blackwelder)