It's beyond this critics' understanding as to why Woody Allen's latest
comedy fared so badly in theaters.  It's a lot of fun!  It also shares "all"
of the elements that made Allens' best films so enjoyable.  Allen' plays a
character similar to the self-delusional characters of his earlier works.
Ray Winkler is an ex-con with dreams of making it big with a final "big
score".  After deciding to talk his wife, Tracy Ullman, into funding his
plan with their life savings, things go from silly to outlandish!  He
enlists her cookie-making skills as a cover to open a cookie store beside a bank that they plan on breaking into.  Of course, Allen is aided by other bumbling crooks, including the hilarious John Lovitz.  Lovitz's character informs Allen that his prison nickname of "Brains" was sarcastic, not an accolade!  As if the "heist" idea isn't entertaining enough, Allen actually gets to tell a tale dealing with "class" and whether one can "learn" it by having Ullman's character stumble onto wealth through her cookies, rather than having to succeed in bank robbing!  There are other unique twists that unfold as the story goes on, and all of it is enjoyable.  Allen's back, and we can't praise his return to the kind of comedy filmmaking we used to love, enough!
DREAMWORKS always presents fabulous looking transfers, and "SMALL TIME CROOKS" is no exception.  While some may be annoyed by a preponderance of edge enhancement, the clarity and resolution is spectacular!  Color values are flawless and the contrast is perfect!  Even in the darkest scenes, the clarity is remarkable!  The correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio is intact with 16:9 enhancement.
Anyone selecting titles based on the soundmix, will be disappointed with
this selection.  Allen has "never" cared much about stereo tracks for his
films, let alone dolby digital 5.1, so all we get here is a big flat mono.
That's right, the dolby digital track is 1.0!  Still, the dialogue is
perfectly audible, free of any distortion.
Allen also stays away from any commentary tracks, so there's none here.  As far as supplements go, there's only the theatrical trailer.  We're pleased to say that it's presented with 16:9 enhancement, whereas many dvd trailers are still non-anamorphic.  There are also production notes.