Lots of energy, but dull

Rating: 5/10 (21 September 2014)

I was looking forward to this. The hype made it look like a banker for entertainment, but it mostly fails to deliver.
Lots of comic elements, but they don't gel. Some stuff was amusing, but I think the only laugh I got was when the FBI agent was told not to eat in the bathroom. You can sense the actors' lack of conviction.
The promise of violence was not delivered on - they copped out with a simple The Sting type deception. You don't invite his holiness De Niro into your house and expect him to leave quietly. I suppose that's because it's partly based on a true story.
The conman is too subdued, the FBI agent too demented. Why the heart pills? Random. Most interesting character is Rosalyn, who resents her life and delivers perfect self-justifying lines. She has a nice scene where she fears she'll die before she changes, but it's hard to like her.
The ambiguity over politics and money is an interesting slant, but I didn't get anything from it.
The final pay off is middle class respectability. Zzzzz.