Matchstick Men

Matchstick Men (2003)

  • 82% of critics liked it
    (181 reviews)

  • 76% of users liked it
    (149,852 ratings)

Ridley Scott directs the crime comedy Matchstick Men, based on the novel of the same name by Eric Garcia. Neurotic con man Roy (Nicolas Cage) suffers from several emotional problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He and his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) swindle people out of money by… More

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PG-13, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By
Ridley Scott
Written By
Nicholas Griffin, Ted Griffin, Eric Garcia
Genres
Drama, Comedy
In Theaters
Sep 12, 2003 Wide
On DVD
Jun 1, 2004
Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Matchstick Men never really casts off its cloak of artificiality and calculation; its pleasures are minor, however distracting they may be.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    A thoroughly absorbing hour and 56 minutes of entertainment.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    Matchstick Men is really two movies brilliantly spliced into one, each enriching the other.

  • David Edelstein, Slate

    It's a blah little exploitation picture that thinks it's a deep humanist parable.

  • Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

    Matchstick Men isn't even remotely intricate; it's not even particularly interesting.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tyler C


    A complex, very involving drama, "Matchstick Men" displays fantastic lead performances from its main cast comprised of Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman, but also heightens director Ridley Scott to a whole new form of filmmaking where he shows that he can tell a… More

  • Jason R


    Surprisingly solid acting by Nic Cage in this one, matched by a character driven story with a con sprinkled in. Very light but enjoyable throughout -- a great movie for some laughs on a Friday or Saturday night.

  • Mark W


    It's hard to imagine after all his war and gladitorial carnage that the playful tone of this film belongs to director Ridley Scott. It's a nice and very welcome change of pace for him. Roy (Nicolas Cage) and Frank (Sam Rockwell) are a mismatched duo of low-level con men,… More

  • Jennifer X


    Loses a bit of its energy toward the very end, but the daughter-father chemistry but not really between Cage and Alison Lohman was pretty great, and even greater when you realize how manufactured it all is. Proof that Nicolas Cage can still do stuff, sometimes.

  • Conner R


    A really different kind of film for Ridley Scott, it just shows how talented he is on all fronts. It's a great caper type story that really hasn't been done all that well since the 60s, but this is really a standout. The fact that it's so original and different also… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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