Review of Trapped in Paradise (1994) by Kathleen O — 01 Sep 2010

How did this movie go wrong? I still wonder that to this day. Trapped in Paradise is a movie stacked with a very talented actor, two funny comedians, and a cast of other reliable character actors, I mean, you would think it'd be an easy hit right? Wrong.

Trapped in Paradise, is an empty, hollow film that putters around in circles with no clear destination of any accomplishment. But heck, I could actually let that go if the movie was funny right? Well it wasn't...so I can't.

You would think that a movie with Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey would be able to deliver, and that it'd be hard to screw up. Usually back then, movies with big casts delivered. But this could be the farthest tracing point of where it started to go downhill.

The three leads, play three bumbling idiotic brothers, fresh out of the big house, and I mean DUMB! I mean, they try to write Cage's character as at least half smart, but really, I think he's dumber than any of them for the sheer fact that he still hangs around his brothers. This could almost be called, Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest.

The other two brothers are of course played by SNL alumns, Jon Lovitz & Dan Carvey. Carvey was fresh off the very succesful Wayne's World films, and Lovitz was doing bit parts in Comedies, and being very funny at it too boot. Bother were also very funny on SNL, they're not here.

They intened to rob a bank in a small town known as Paradise, PA. And the heist is pulled off, but when a big storm hits, the kindness of this town, allows the three, who nobody knows are really about, let them in as guests, with the loot in hand.

Of course we get Cage's love interest in the film, because goodness known he ALWAYS needs one, she's played by the attractive yet bland Madchen Amick.

And of course, they have both sides of the law on there trail. This movie wouldn't be so problematic had the characters been more sophisticated in there dimness kind of like Dumb & Dumber was. But they fail to do that. While, Carvey & Lovitz did manage to make me chuckle once or twice, the only character I enjoyed with no problems, was the Mother of the three boys, played by succesful TV actress, Florence Stanley. She only had a few scenes, but made the most of them.

The movie's satisfying end was quite well done, and I won't fault it, but the unfolding of the story just seemed disoriented. Lovitz & Carvey are trying here, Cage is walking through as he has done on several occasions since, but a movie that had the right idea but the wrong exection, and even the right cast, is always the saddest to watch.