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The Best Thief In The World (2005)
Released By: Showtime Networks Inc.   Rating: R   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: Showtime Networks Inc.
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R
Director: N/A
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: 6/28/2005
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Audra McDonald, Michael Silverman, David Warshofsky
Published ID: 405508
UPC: 758445115222,
Plot: For his first filmmaking effort without brother Josh Kornbluth by his side, Jacob Kornbluth followed up the duo's Haiku Tunnel by writing and directing this offbeat drama about a family struggling to cope with unexpected strife and the pitfalls of adolescence. The Best Thief in the World stars Mary-Louise Parker (Boys on the Side, Angels in America) as the family matriarch, a public-school English teacher whose husband has recently suffered a stroke, leaving her the household's lone breadwinner. Meanwhile, her oldest son Izzy is rebelliously acting out in response to the tumult at home and his own growing pains by breaking into apartments and rearranging the furniture. The Best Thief in the World screened in competition at the {~2004 Sundance Film Festival}. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
pretty good
Added 1/30/2009

this movie was pretty good. i picked it up the other day and i liked it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Good movie
Added 1/17/2008

This is a well written movie that was shot in one of my homes of New York City. It was well acted even with the children actors who in most cases this was their first film. It also has Mary Louise Parker who is a very good actress that is sometimes under rated but in this movie you can see her talent.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Parker Shines Again
Added 1/14/2008

The Best Thief in the World is a character study on how a parent and her young son cope with life. In a sense, Mary-Louise Parker's character, Sue, a teacher with a salty vocabulary, is a single parent.As the film opens, her husband has suffered a debilitating stroke. Consequently, she struggles with the demands and stressors of her career, parenting, the relationship with her mother and care giving skills, not unlike her character on the Showtime series, Weeds. Tough decision need to be made with Sue often coping through denial. Sue and her relationship with her son Izzy (played well by Michael Silverman) is interesting to watch and as usual, Parker presents a true performance.

On the other glove, Izzy attempts to cope with his life by breaking into people's apartments, which begins playfully yet evolves into more serious circumstances. Both mother and son attempt to cope with their grief and pain in unrealistic methods, yet somehow survive.

For folks who enjoy character driven films, check out The Best Thief in the World. It does not always work and there is an annoying method of sequence transitions with "Rapping" children. However, Parker's performance is spot on.

Bruce Nelson



0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Far, Far Below 'Showtime Entertainment' Quality
Added 8/9/2006

To put it bluntly, this movie is so far below the usual quality of Showtime movies dealing with kids it should have been left on the cutting room floor. First, every so often up pops two preschool, foul-mouth rappers that seem to just intrude into the very thin story - they don't even seem to be characters in the yarn, just in-your-face intruders. Second, little Izzy not only breaks into apartments, but is held in high esteem by the neighborhood kids for doing it. Finally, when Issy tried to confess to his mother about the tragedy, she brushes him off as if she knows the truth but doesn't care to deal with it. The only reason I didn't give the movie an 'F' is that it does show, to those who understand child psychology, how a troubled little boy is trying to cry out for help. The problem is that in the movie it is never dealt with; or anybody showing any understanding of Izzy's needs. The mother just runs away from the situation to start anew in Michigan.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
incredible story
Added 1/12/2006

What an incredibly true to life story The Best Thief In The World is! This drama is what more movies about families in crisis should be. You certainly won't find any others to match its' ability of displaying what life in desperate situations is truly like. With a dad incapacitated due to a stroke, a mom trying to make ends meet and hope that it will all come together and a bad neighborhood filled with kids growing up in city poverty condidtions, what's a tween to do? Young Izzy breaks into others' apartments less for what he can steal and more for the thrill of doing it and not getting caught. He leaves several examples of his having been there, so the people know that their living space had been invaded, but takes very little if anything at all most visits. The ending of this movie is very powerful and not in any Hollywood sense of the word. This is a made for cable true life drama that is done perfectly in that real independent movie sense and definitely deserves to be watched again and again.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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