SITTING DUCKS
US, 1979, 87 minutes, Colour.
Michael Emil, Zack Norman, Richard Romanus.
Directed by Henry Jaglom.
Sitting Ducks is a very entertaining piece of madcap Americana. It was written and directed by Henry Jaglom, who made the offbeat A Safe Place and Tracks (the latter with the two stars of this film). The basic framework is a robbery story and the escape of the two offbeat criminals from New York to Miami, their picking up three oddballs on the way: a would-be singing chauffeur, two girls who turn out to be gangster hit-women. There is a lot of pleasant satire on the American robbery film. There is also a great deal of verbal and visual humour about American hang-ups, age, sex, health, careers, the fulfilment of the American dream. Each of the characters is quite sharply defined and offers a great deal of humour. There is a lot of insight into the values of the American way of life and the need for opting out of the American successoriented rat-race. Not a mainstream American comedy, but accessible to a very wide audience.
1. An enjoyable comedy? A piece of Americana? A spoof on crime films? Offbeat characters? A homage to film conventions, satire on thern? The contrast of style with the conventional crime, comedy?
2. The title, humour, visual image of ducks waddling during the film, the heroes as targets? The comic tone?
3. Americana: city lifestyle, urban pressures, gangsters and laundered money, the offbeat style of the robbery, the road movie conventions and the incidents during the trip, the offbeat characters, verbal comedy, visual comedy, jokes? The build-up to the girls revealed as hit girls? The contradictions of the climax? The road and crime structure of the film? Its quality of observation, ironies?
4. The contribution of the music? Background, songs? Moose and his singing and his career? The ending and the humour of the characters swimming and Leona who did not swim?
5. The quality of the verbal humour? A means of manifesting each character? Style? The rapidity of the dialogue, pushiness, persuasion, the language of conmen? American idiom, jokes? The foibles of each character? The intensity of some of the discussions ? with the touch of parody? The themes of discussion: courage, money, greed, sexuality, sexual prowess, health, anxiety, career, gambling, escape?
6. The style of the opening: the revelation of the plan, the introduction to Sidney and Simon, the irony of their plan and the discussion with the money?collectorsf the escape with the money, their exhilaration? Their plan for escape to Costa Rica, driving to Miami? The hiding of the money in the car? The ironies with the mob knowing what was happening? The days passing and the delay in getting to Costa Rica? The girls being asked to eliminate them?
7. Simon: his timidity, being persuaded to do the robbery, his handling of the collectors? His relationship with his father, ringing him during the trip? His obsession with vitamins and health? His theorising about health? His self?confidence in his sexuality and yet his nervousness, infatuation with Leona, wanting to respect her? His relationship with Jenny? The friendship with Sidney? Being persuaded by him? His nervousness about going to Costa Rica, the car ride, hiring Moose? The motel rooms, watching television discussion shows, Doris Day in Tea for Two, etc.? The encounter with Jenny and his liking her? The rescuing of Leona? Talking with her, communicating, driving? The various adventures but his shrewdness in getting the money? The night by himself with the money? The shootout and his resourcefulness at the end, more in control than Sidney?
8. Sidney: the plan, his disguise with the hairpiece and the difference without it? The farewell to the little girl and his memories of her later? The achievement of the robbery? Driving, the chauffeur plan? The decision to hire Moose ? and the development of the friendship? His irritation at being confined? The flair at the pool with his pink clothes, the encounter with Jenny, rescuing her? His extrovert activity. enjoying the company of Jenny and Moose? Rescuing Leona? Sexual relationship with Jenny? His continually supporting Simon? His growing panic and losing control towards the end? The final shootout and his dependence on Simon for money?
9. How well did the two men work together? The differing types, aims, skills, needs? Two sitting ducks?
10. The sketch of the two girls: Jenny and her exercises, her frankness and directness, questions,, the night with moose., Sidney boasting and her relationship with him, her boyfriend and his reappearance only to give her orders and get shot? The relationship with Leona and warning her about the orders to kill her? The offbeat attitude towards killing? Her amoral behaviour and attitudes? Her finally rescuing the group? The contrast with Leona and her work as a waitress, her desperation. the irony of her identity and her helplessness, watching television with simon,' talking and communicating, the threat to her life by Jenny, her making an option to go with the group? Credible hit women?
11. Moose and his garage work, naivety, music, chatter, his being cut out of the discussions at various times, his relationship with Jenny and the night with her, his being paid off, their farewell and the sentimental goodbyes and his wanting to keep in touch?
12. The killer and his relationship with Jenny, disappearance, reappearance, orders, the final shoot-out?
13. The amoral presentation of American values? The critique of surface morality? The sitting ducks getting away with the gangsters' money?
14. The value of this kind of film in presenting a comic view of American life styles? The wittiness and insightfulness of the observation of human nature?
