MovieMantz Review: ‘You Kill Me’

A Killer Comedy

by Scott Mantz

“You Kill Me”
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni
Directed by: John Dahl

The timing couldn’t be better for “You Kill Me,” a quirky mob comedy that arrives in theaters just after “The Sopranos” bows out gracefully from HBO after 8 nerve-wracking years. Not that a mere 92-minute movie could come close to filling those very big shoes, which is why it’s best to think of it as a rich, tarty desert after a hefty, delectable main course.

Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley plays Frank Falenczyk, a hitman for his Polish mob family in Buffalo, NY. When his severe drinking problem gets in the way of one job too many, his uncle, family patriarch Roman Krzeminski (Philip Baker Hall), makes him an offer he can’t refuse — to move to San Francisco and clean up his act, or else. He doesn’t like it, but he starts going to AA meetings, gets a sponsor (Luke Wilson) and finds a job at a mortuary.

That’s when he meets Laurel (Téa Leoni), a sarcastic woman whose late stepfather is being worked on by Frank. Laurel has issues of her own, and since Frank has never been out on a date sober, they soon bond over their mutual feelings of loneliness. It doesn’t take long for Frank to come clean with Laurel about his unsavory profession, but when he faces the prospect of returning home to knock off a crazy Irish mob boss (Dennis Farina) threatening his family, their relationship is put to the ultimate test.

“You Kill Me” is a perfect example of how rewarding an offbeat project like this can be when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Everyone involved is on the same page with the tone of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s well-crafted screenplay, especially director John Dahl (“The Last Seduction,” “Joy Ride”), whose moderate pace lets the performers play it straight until their deadpan humor builds to an often-hysterical level.

And that’s what makes polar opposites like Ben Kingsley and Téa Leoni so believable, charming and sympathetic as a couple. As it is, seeing Kingsley play such a vulnerable hitman is a hoot when compared to the scary mobster he portrayed in 2000’s “Sexy Beast.” Leoni is also terrific, as is Luke Wilson, who plays the AA sponsor who gets more than he bargained for with Kingsley. But Dennis Farina must have been born to play a mob boss, since he effortlessly recycles his unforgettable performance from 1987’s “Midnight Run.”

Alcoholism and organized crime may be a lethal combination, but thanks to the clever and offbeat humor found here, you will die laughing at “You Kill Me.” The writing is sharp, the direction is solid and the performances are right on target. And unlike most Hollywood blockbusters that come out during the summer, it stays with you long after you leave the theater. So for the time being, maybe “You Kill Me” does fill the void left by “The Sopranos.”

VERDICT: SEE IT!