Things Change poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky, J.J. Johnston, Ricky Jay ... see more see more... , Mike Nussbaum , Dan Conway , Willo Hausman , Gail Silver , Len Hodera , Josh Conescu , Merrill Holtzman , Adam Bitterman , Steve Goldstein , Sarah Ekhardt , Karen Kohlhaas , Robert Bella , Dick Cusack , Vincent Guastaferro , Felicity Huffman , William H. Macy , Natalia Nogulich , Lionel Mark Smith , Jack Wallace , J.T. Walsh , Scott Zigler , J.J. Johnson

Perhaps it was his collaborator Shel Silverstein who said to screenwriter David Mamet "Lighten up. Do a comedy." Whatever the case, Things Change was a welcome change of pace for Mamet, both as scenar... read more read more...ist and director. Don Ameche also goes against his usual grain by playing a downtrodden Chicago shoeshine boy (if one can call an 80-year-old a "boy") who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Not having much of a future anyway, Ameche has agreed--for a hefty sum--to take the rap for a gangland rubout. Mob henchman Joe Mantegna is assigned to keep an eye on Ameche over the weekend to make sure he doesn't try to weasel out of his agreement. Mantegna has been ordered to remain in Ameche's Lake Tahoe hotel, but the young guy takes a liking to the old loser. Like Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail, Mantegna takes Ameche on one last fling around Nevada. The location photography is terrific, and Ameche even more so. One would like Things Change to be equally as good, and while it never comes up to its potential, it remains a pleasant means to while away 100 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

651 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

PG, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: David Mamet

Release Date: October 21, 1988

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 2, 2000

Get It:

Stats: 42 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Things Change
Upload a Photo | View All Things Change Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (42)

  • moonrivers
    May 16, 2012
    moonrivers
    Nine years after Hal Ashby's quixotic 1979 tale of mistaken identity, Being There (with Peter Sellers as the humble gardener), Mamet followed with his take on the same subject, throwing in the Mob and its code of honor (!!!) for comic spin. Joe Mantagna is the family flunky chos... read moreen with cred enough to babysit a shoeshine boy and he's credible if underwritten. Ameche, though, is the whole film, carrying the whole piece. I thought he understood it better than Mamet pretended to ...
  • pier007
    August 15, 2008
    pier007
    From the moment you watch Don Ameche's face, you instantly know this will be a humble, honest and heartwarming story. David Mamet changed his register here, in his second film.
    A sweet comedy with crystalline acting, writing and direction.
  • threefolddado
    July 17, 2008
    threefolddado
    It's got that Mamet touch!
  • jam233
    March 19, 2010
    jam233
    Don Ameche is such a wonderful actor, he gives such a beautifully poignant performance. Great story, very well done. Joe Mantegna is also terrific. The character development is superb, you get to know and care about the characters. The score is perfect, effective cinematography ... read morethat really emphases each situation. Powerful and moving. What a great story.

View All Things Change Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rich Cline
April 5, 2005
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

clever, funny and thoughtful

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 10, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A gangster fable about keeping one's word. Full Review

James Rocchi
November 7, 2002
James Rocchi, Netflix

David Mamet-Shel Silverstein collaboration is funny, touching and tense. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 1, 2000
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's a film that comes with a perfect shoeshine and smile underneath its ludicrous and cynical premise. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 23, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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)

Cast

More Like This

This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Things Change : Watch Free on TV

Things Change Trivia

  • Which movie is about two sisters who aren't aloud to date and the littlesister is trying to change that with help from her cute "boyfriends"?  Answer »
  • what was the ability to change things around in the movie "Dark City" called?  Answer »
  • In the movie Dark City, what do they call when they change things in the world?  Answer »
More Things Change Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Things Change. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Things Change to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?