''Two If by Sea'' (also known in the United Kingdom as ''Stolen Hearts'') is a 1996 American
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film directed by
Bill Bennett
William Richards Bennett, (April 14, 1932 – December 3, 2015) was the 27th premier of British Columbia from 1975 to 1986. He was a son of Annie Elizabeth May (Richards) and former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, ...
, and starring
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...
and
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole (song), Assh ...
. The screenplay, written by Leary and Mike Armstrong, is based on a story by Leary, Armstrong, and Ann Lembeck.
Plot
Frank O'Brien, a small-time thief, and his 7-year-long girlfriend Roz have stolen a Matisse painting and are bickering in their stolen getaway car as they casually evade a string of police cars pursuing them.
Told it is worth 100 thousand, they expect to make 10 thousand upon delivering it in two days. Hearing a train, they ditch the car for Amtrack, but it doesn't take long for the police to catch up. So Frank and Roz jump a ferry to Rhode Island, where they are meant to deliver the painting.
Finding out a family is away through the weekend, they let themselves in. Soon afterward the neighbor Evan Marsh pops by, and Roz skillfully weaves a lie, dropping the names of the homeowner's son based on a postcard she saw. At ease, Evan invites them to a party the next evening.
That evening the couple are relaxing, and Roz finds the stolen painting featured in a book of art. Soon thereafter they argue over another job Frank's meant to do the following week, as he'd promised to start to earn a living to put an end to their unsteady lifestyle and just do that last job.
As Roz kicked Frank out of the bedroom, he wakes on the sofa to a local law enforcement officer. Todd, a nearby teen, had contacted the station, reporting suspicious behaviour. The couple starts to answer, when Evan waltzes in and vouches for them.
At Evan's party, Roz is successfully trying to blend, while an uncomfortable Frank tags along. He had been trying to dissuade her from going, mistrustful of Evan, and uncomfortable with the high society types there. Tired of Frank spoiling Roz's attempt to interact, she stomps away from the party. She tells him she needs to move on, as their relationship is not advancing as she needs.
The next day, Roz tries out painting, as well as spends the day with Evan. They ride horses and he openly expresses his interest. Meanwhile, Todd shows Frank his footage of various neighbors. He brags that he has grabbed lots of great shots he could use as blackmail.
On Sunday morning, while Roz is spending time with Evan he kisses her, making her uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Frank realises that he's seen footage from Evan's of another missing Matisse in his home, realising he is an art thief.
When the FBI sworm in to bust the couple for the Matisse, Frank leads them to Evans', where several extremely valuable paintings are found. Roz and Frank make up after he promises to clean up his act and settle down.
Cast
*
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...
as Roz
*
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole (song), Assh ...
as Francis "Frank" O'Brien
*
Stephen Dillane
Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film '' The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in ''Game of Thrones'', and Thomas Jefferson in the 2008 HBO miniseries ''John Ada ...
as Evan Marsh
*
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto (born Frederick Samuel Kotto; November 15, 1939 – March 15, 2021) was an American actor known for numerous film roles, as well as starring in the NBC television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) as ...
as FBI Agent O'Malley
*
Mike Starr as "Fitzie"
*
Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Moss Tucker (born May 31, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films ''The Virgin Suicides'' (1999), ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003), ''Hostage'' (2005), ''In the Valley of Elah'' (2007), '' The Ruins'' (20 ...
as Todd
*
Wayne Robson
Wayne Robson (April 29, 1946 – April 4, 2011) was a Canadian television, stage, voice and film actor known for playing the part of Mike Hamar, an ex-convict and sometime thief, on the Canadian sitcom ''The Red Green Show'' from 1993 to 2006, as ...
as Beano Callahan
*
Michael Badalucco
Michael Badalucco (born December 20, 1954) is an American actor. He made his screen debut in the film ''Raging Bull'' (1980) and subsequently appeared in many films such as ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), ''Miller's Crossing'' (1990), ''Jun ...
as Quinn
*
Lenny Clarke
Lenny or Lennie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Lennie (surname), a list of people
* Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''L ...
as Kelly
Production
The film was shot in locales including
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Lunenburg,
Mahone Bay
Mahone Bay is a bay on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern end of Lunenburg County. The bay has many islands, and is a popular sailing area. Since 2003 the Mahone Islands Conservation Association has been working to prot ...
, and
Riverport, Nova Scotia
Riverport is a village in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The harbour of Ritcey Cove is free from shoals and safe from every wind, considered one of the finest in North America. Riverport is a five-minute drive to several public beaches ...
.
Release
Box office
''Two If by Sea'' opened theatrically on January 12, 1996 in 1,712 venues, grossing $4,656,986 in the United States and Canada, ranking tenth for its opening weekend. At the end of its run, the film grossed $10,658,278 in the United States and Canada and an estimated $10 million internationally for a worldwide total of $21 million.
[
The film was ]Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...
's worst wide opening up until 2015, when '' Our Brand Is Crisis'' released in October, earning $3,238,433 in its first weekend.
Critical reception
The film received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 13% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 3.9/10.
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "It could have been a recipe for antic fun, but the couple’s quarrelsome nature is grating, the cops are needlessly inept, the boy provides a misplaced element of creaky sentimentality, and the goons debase the hallowed cinema ground of petty crime."
''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave it a D.
Denis Leary said it was "one of the funniest scripts he had ever read" and blamed director Bill Bennett for the film's failure, saying "he destroyed it."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Two If By Sea
1996 films
1990s crime comedy films
1996 romantic comedy films
American crime comedy films
American romantic comedy films
1990s English-language films
Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Films scored by Nick Glennie-Smith
Films directed by Bill Bennett
Films shot in Nova Scotia
Morgan Creek Productions films
Films about theft
1990s American films