Sharper
"Sharper" is a confident entry to the confidence game subgenre.
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A good con movie always makes for a fun watch.
“The Sting” is probably the gold standard for the subgenre. David Mamet did the damned thing in the 1980s and 1990s with “House of Games” and “The Spanish Prisoner.” A lot of our best working filmmakers have taken a stab at the subgenre too – among them Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s 11,” “12” and “13”), Steven Spielberg (“Catch Me If You Can”), Ridley Scott (“Matchstick Men”), Rian Johnson (“The Brothers Bloom”) and David O. Russell (“American Hustle”). I was also a big fan of the Will Smith/Margot Robbie-starrer “Focus” from 2015.
“Sharper” (available in select theaters beginning Friday, Feb. 10 and to stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday, Feb. 17) is a good con movie that does in fact make for a fun watch.
“Sharper” is a not only a con movie, but it’s also a hyperlink film along the lines of Soderbergh’s “Traffic” and “Contagion” or Paul Haggis’ “Crash.” The flick is broken into chapters that are titled with our characters’ names.
Tom (Justice Smith) is a wealthy young man who owns a bookstore and has a history of mental instability. Sandra (Briana Middleton, “The Tender Bar”) is a young woman attending graduate school who happens into Tom’s store one fateful day. Tom takes an immediate shine to Sandra, asks her to dinner and a romance blossoms between the two.
Max (Sebastian Stan) is a grifter who hates his mother Madeline (Julianne Moore). She’s living with and dating billionaire hedge fund manager Richard (John Lithgow).
I don’t want to write much more about the plot as I think it’s best experienced by watching the film itself. “Sharper” is directed by prestige television helmer Benjamin Caron (“The Crown,” “Andor”) and penned by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, who co-scripted the Jonah Hill “Adventures in Babysitting” riff “The Sitter.” I will say I was often a few steps ahead of the movie, but it did manage to still spring a few surprises upon me. These bombshells elevated the proceedings considerably.
The turns by our primary performers also boost the overall product. Smith has a great voice, but is dangerously close to being typecast between 2021’s “The Voyeurs” and this. Middleton is a new talent, but has an impressive screen presence … she’s going places. Stan excels as the sleazy Max … it should be a rule that he dance in all of his movies henceforth after this and 2022’s “Fresh.” Moore is equal parts sexy and scary as Madeline. Lithgow does wonders with his underwritten role playing both the light and dark sides of the moneyed Richard.
“Sharper” is well-acted and handsomely-made … it’s a confident entry to the confidence game subgenre.