Ray Winkler (Woody Allen) is an inept criminal who gathers together a small and equally inefficient gang to rob a bank by digging a tunnel into the vault from a nearby abandoned cafe. He gets Frenchy (Tracey Ullman), his disapproving wife, to open a cookie store in the cafe – and her cookies soon become the in thing for New Yorkers – indeed, for all Americans, bringing wealth but not happiness for Ray.
This is an amiable Woody Allen comedy, but not as interesting or challenging as his best work. It starts out like a re-run of the first feature he directed, Take The Money and Run, and the early scenes are the most amusing. But once Ray and Frenchy get rich, and Frenchy starts social climbing in company with suave Hugh Grant, the comedy loses a lot of its sting. There's a predictability about these scenes which is unusual for the usually very unpredictable Allen. Nevertheless, it's great to look at – with Zhao Fei once again behind the camera, and there's a terrific soundtrack of vintage jazz and popular songs.
