Small Time Crooks

Small Time Crooks, released on May 10, 2000, is a crime comedy directed and written by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Tracey Ullman. Ullman's performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress.

Con man Ray and his wife Frenchy concoct a plan to break into a bank by digging a tunnel from an abandoned pizza restaurant. While Frenchy starts a cookie shop in the storefront, Ray and his buddies Denny, Tommy and Benny dig from the basement. Their efforts are a complete failure, but Frenchy's cookie business becomes a smashing success.

A year later, Frenchy has made her business into a franchise, while Ray has turned back to small-time crime. Frenchy asks art dealer David (Hugh Grant) to groom her to become part of the upper class, but has to contend with Ray's desire to move to Florida and her gradual realization that David's intentions are less than pure.

• Woody Allen as Ray

• Tracey Ullman as Frenchy

• Michael Rapaport as Denny

• Tony Darrow as Tommy

• Jon Lovitz as Benny

• Hugh Grant as David

"This is without a doubt the most shapeless screenplay Allen's ever written. The entire exercise seems slapped together so he and his pals can have some fun making a movie."—Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviewshttp://www.reelingreviews.com/reel230.htm#smalltimecrooks

"Though it sacrifices farcical precision, the looseness of Small Time Crooks is appealing."—Charles Taylor, Salonhttp://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2000/05/19/crooks/index.html

"It's my pleasure to report that Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks doesn't pretend to be anything more than a well-executed caper. Eschewing payback, Allen's funniest, least sour outing in nearly a decade is a small movie with a tidy payoff."—J. Hoberman, Village Voicehttp://www.villagevoice.com/2000-05-16/film/the-vulgar-classes/1