Flypaper (2011)

17% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
42% of users liked it
(2,598 ratings)

Tripp Kennedy (Patrick Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Ashley Judd), to protect her. The gangs--one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of… More Tripp Kennedy (Patrick Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Ashley Judd), to protect her. The gangs--one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of buffoons--have deadlocked themselves in a Mexican standoff. The bank's security system starts the end-of-day lockdown and seals everyone into the building. As the night evolves, a hilarious game of cat and mouse ensues as Tripp and Kaitlin try to save the day, escape being killed, and avoid falling in love...almost. -- (C) IFC Films

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Rob Minkoff
Written By: Scott Moore, Jon Lucas
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 19, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Nov 15, 2011
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Una LaMarche, New York Observer
You know there's something wrong with a comedy when you'd rather see the main characters killed off than live happily ever after.
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
One thought that occurred to me while pacing myself through Flypaper: With the economy being what it is, will there be a rash of bank robbery movies?
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
It's a mess from start to finish, but there's still fun to be had in Rob Minkoff's caper comedy.
Sara Stewart, New York Post
In the end, there's just a roomful of decent character actors in search of a point. For them, the titular "Flypaper" may have simply been a paycheck.
Rachel Saltz, New York Times
"Flypaper" has enough twists and surprises to remain interesting in a closed-room, Agatha Christie kind of way. But it's never quite as clever or as hip as it thinks it is.
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice
The ensemble's amped-up histrionics rub against each other without ever catching fire.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
There reaches a point, however, at which the rather limited nature of the movie's premise starts to become a problem...
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Minkoff doesn't bring a whole lot of originality to the picture, which could use a shot of surprise considering the snoozy bank heist conventions it employs. Still, what he lacks in freshness he makes up for in velocity.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
The real question is: How does a movie as weak as this get made? Who read this script and said, "I have to make this movie"?..It's not funny - and that's the real crime.
Leah Rozen, The Wrap
A mighty thin and derivative slice of moviemaking.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
The sprawling ensemble yields to a story that's so heavily worked-over, it doesn't get much of a chance to breathe.
David Fear, Time Out New York
You'll be the one who ends up feeling ripped off.
David D'Arcy, Screen International
The film is a heist-and-hostage comedy that reminds you that criminals, under pressure, are as neurotic as anyone else.
Chris Bumbray, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
It's painfully unfunny, and the type of immediately disposable junk one wouldn't expect to see on cable, much less the Sundance Film Festival.
Christopher Campbell, Cinematical
May not be well executed, too broad for a script that obviously wants to be a very profane and twisted black comedy, but it's not without a silly charm.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
Just not a very strong take on the bank-robbing comedy we've seen so many times before.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Strictly amateur hour, despite the number of recognizable names in the cast. Not sure what they were trying to do, but the premise is so lame that the whole thing collapses before it gets going. I just could not get into this movie...
Anthony L

A truly awful film. It's desperately unfunny and thinks it's really clever but it really isn't. The acting is awful, the script is awful, the story is awful...I could go on. It's a complete mess that should never have been green lit.
Al S

A total blast, it`s one of those films that would be just a crime to miss. A wickedly hilarious twist-a-minute comedy packed with action, suspense, witty characters, sharp writing and a wonderful all-star cast. It`s smart, stylish and unrelenting. A great movie. I loved it. A rich,… More
A total blast, it`s one of those films that would be just a crime to miss. A wickedly hilarious twist-a-minute comedy packed with action, suspense, witty characters, sharp writing and a wonderful all-star cast. It`s smart, stylish and unrelenting. A great movie. I loved it. A rich, slick and insanely enjoyable comedy. Patrick Dempsey is excellent, he has the perfect combination of charm, witt and charisma that makes him a stunning leading man. Ashley Judd is wonderful. Dempsey and Judd have great chemistry together, giving off plenty of great lines and romantic dazzle. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Tim Blake Nelson are outragious together, such a blast of comic energy. Mekhi Phifer and Matt Ryan are teriffic. A funny movie that packs just as much smarts and bullets to keep you entertained. A movie that knows how to enjoy itself, whether its in it`s thriller element, it`s action element or in it`s comedic element. A wonderful genre bender with a Hitchokian vibe to it. It works as hesit thriller, an action movie and a romantic comedy.
Manu G

Two sets of bank robbers, one very sticky heist. Good decent movie. This was a nice comedic bank robbery movie. It's a mix between films like Clue and The Bank Job. Many twist and turns made the movie better than it was. Nice cast especially the duo of Dempsey and Judd. Tripp… More
Two sets of bank robbers, one very sticky heist. Good decent movie. This was a nice comedic bank robbery movie. It's a mix between films like Clue and The Bank Job. Many twist and turns made the movie better than it was. Nice cast especially the duo of Dempsey and Judd. Tripp ('Patrick Dempsey' ) walks into a bank to get some change and ends up as a hostage to two bank robber-teams, robbing the bank he is at. In an almost Sherlock Holmesian way he has to solve this Agatha Christie inspired mystery and win the girls (Ashley Judd) heart. But not everything is at it seems, and there are many twists and turns in this comedy.
Jeffrey M

Unfunny, badly written, poorly acted, and undeniably pointless, Flypaper is a disaster of a movie. It was trying to be an offbeat witty comedy, but it manages only to be an exercise in terrible, uninspired, phone-it-in filmmaking, with Larry the Cable Guy level humor and… More
Unfunny, badly written, poorly acted, and undeniably pointless, Flypaper is a disaster of a movie. It was trying to be an offbeat witty comedy, but it manages only to be an exercise in terrible, uninspired, phone-it-in filmmaking, with Larry the Cable Guy level humor and sophistication. 1.5/5 Stars
Panta O

I am not sure how a director with such good ideas can execute them so poorly! Rob Minkoff, how could you do it, I keep asking! I was hoping that, at least, it could be entertaining enough to keep me awake but the story of a man named Tripp who is caught in the middle of two… More
I am not sure how a director with such good ideas can execute them so poorly! Rob Minkoff, how could you do it, I keep asking! I was hoping that, at least, it could be entertaining enough to keep me awake but the story of a man named Tripp who is caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at a bank - didn't do it. There were few funny situations because one crew is more professional while the other crew consists of two men who call themselves Peanut Butter and Jelly and they constantly clash with their methods while Tripp desperately tries to protect teller Kaitlin (it seems that he was secretly falling in love). The end twist was predictable, and story at the end did not made much impression to be remembered. Patrick Dempsey as Tripp and Ashley Judd as Kaitlin were on the same level! Avoid if you could!
Sol C

What a great and hilarious film this is. This is the kind of film that the Coen Bros. would usually make. It kind of reminded me of movies like Clue, The Tourist, and Identity. It is a botched bank robbery, hostage situation, a murder/who done it, and who is setting them all up in… More
What a great and hilarious film this is. This is the kind of film that the Coen Bros. would usually make. It kind of reminded me of movies like Clue, The Tourist, and Identity. It is a botched bank robbery, hostage situation, a murder/who done it, and who is setting them all up in this film. The script is really good and there is some great dialog. The film is well casted. Everyone in this ensemble shines. Patrick Dempsey is playing a character that would have been played by Woody Allen years ago. I definitely recommend this film.