Picking Up the Pieces

Starring:Woody Allen, Brian Brophy, Betty Carvalho, Enrique Castillo, Jorge Cervera Jr., O'Neal Compton, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Danny De La Paz, Jeannine De La Torre, Marcus Demian, Andy Dick, Fran Drescher, Richard Edson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliott Gould, Darius Grace, Eddie Griffin, Jackie Guerra, Sharon Stone
Studio: Live / Artisan
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Woody Allen stars in Picking Up the Pieces, playing a butcher named Tex who cuts up his adulterous wife (played by Sharon Stone) in a jealous rage. On his way to bury the pieces, he loses her hand on the side of the road, where it's found by a blind woman--and miraculously gives her back her sight. Before long, the hand has become a religious relic, drawing huge crowds to the small town of El Nino, New Mexico, and testing the faithlessness of a straying priest (David Schwimmer), who's in love with the town's leading prostitute (Maria Gracia Cucinotta, from Il Postino). Add to this a corrupt mayor (Cheech Marin), a lawman named Bobo (Kiefer Sutherland), who's committed to getting Tex behind bars, a trio of investigators from the Vatican (Elliott Gould, Andy Dick, and Fran Drescher), and you've got... well, it's hard to say what. Director Alfonso Arau previously made the wonderful Like Water for Chocolate, and although Picking Up the Pieces has a similar magical-realism flavor, it doesn't quite come together. The movie does have a genial, raffish atmosphere and a bizarre cast, all of whom are having a good time. Arau himself plays a small role with great charm. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing.......2005-01-29

In "Picking Up the Pieces" Woody Allen plays a kosher butcher named Tex Cowley, complete with the cowboy boots and Stetson, who chops up his philandering wife Candy (Sharon Stone) into seven pieces. He buries the pieces across the border from Texas in New Mexico, but loses Candy's hand. A blind woman stumbles across the hand, which is still giving the finger (apparently a last act of defiance as Candy was butchered), and is cured. The next thing we know the hand is being venerated in the church of a small town for its ability to work miracles, much to the dismay of the local priest, Father Leo (David Schwimmer), and the delight of Mayor Machado (Cheech Marin) and the locals. After all, not only are their prayers answered but the town ends up being overrun by tourists willing to pay for anything having to do with the hand.

Now, you look at that plot summary and the stellar cast that shows up for this one and you would think "Picking Up the Pieces" is a Woody Allen movie, but it is actually written by Bill Wilson and directed by Alfonso Arau. It is the first screenplay for the writer but the director did "Like Water for Chocolate" and "A Walk in the Clouds," which would certainly explain why the cast showed up for this one. That is because the script does not know what to do with this rather interesting premise. There are some funny moments, but ultimately "Picking Up the Pieces" makes you appreciate the coherence and passion of Kevin Smith's "Dogma."

I want to think that this film is a satire, but I am not sure exactly what the target is supposed to be here. I do not think it is the Catholic Church, even though the Vatican dispatches Elliott Gould, Fran Drescher and Andy Dick to authenticate "the hand of the Virgin." I thought maybe it was a scathing look the notion of faith, but that seemed off point since the hand is indeed miraculous even though if from the nature of the miracles it seems clear the hand belongs to an American. Then I mulled over notions of justice given that counterbalancing the miracles of the hand is the quest of Bobo (Keiffer Sutherland), a Texas lawman and one of Candy's many lovers who wants to bring her husband to justice. But that did not work out to a tenable position either.

Then at the end in Woody Allen's final voice over, the morale (or punch line) to the film is revealed. That was almost enough for me to drop this 2000 comedy's rating one more star and you understand why this film went direct to video in the United States (but was actually released in Spain, presumably because of Arau, and in France, obviously because of Allen's name in the cast). But the premise is too good even if the execution is that bad. Still, even though there was a commentary track in which the director probably explains what he was thinking, I decided to skip it because once Arau explained in the featurette on the DVD that being the key to being politically incorrect was to be subversive, it became clear there really was no real point to what was going on, just the aforementioned punch line.

Allen's nebbish actually gets to be less of a nebbish than we are accustomed to and there are some nice moments when he is up against Sutherland's hardnosed cop. However the focal character in the film is Schwimmer's priest, who is, ironically enough, the one character who is outside of what is going on with the hand and its miracles. I thought that the fact he was more interested in Desi (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), a local prostitute, than he was in his church was a key to understanding the film, but that turned out not to be the case either in this farcical fantasy. Eddie Griffin as Sediento ("Always thirsty" apparently), the town drunk, is the biggest scene stealer as the miracles and tourists get his character to speak up as the conscience for the town, but he turns out to be a dead end. Arau tells us this is a black romantic comedy with a touch of farce done in a magical realistic manner as an example of political incorrectness. I am not prepared to argue against that interpretation fo the text, but knowing that is what is going on does not really help you get any more out of watching the film.

In terms of DVD extras are a series of interview clips with individual cast members, but not including Allen and Stone, which would probably have been the most interesting ones of all, in keeping with our overall disappointment with the film. But there is a trivia game, which will punish you for having paid so much attention to the film and sometimes confuse you as to whether the clips they show are telling you if you got it right or wrong.

Picking Up the Feces.......2005-01-24

I moaned throughout this sad little stain on Woody's resume. I
guess I was hoping that it would eventually get righted, but it
never happens. Once upon a time Woody directed and starred
in Play It Again Sam, a bouquet to Casablanca, a film with one
of the best exit lines ever. Picking Up the Pieces ends with
one of the worst.

The execution of Kiefer Sutherland's character is unbearable to watch.
He is made a human pinata and beaten to death by men, women,
and children. There's no humor in it, vindication, carnal satisfaction.
Nothing. Alfonso Arau slipped so badly it's hard to believe the
same guy directed Like Water for Chocolate. I guess we all have
missteps. This is a trip, stumble, and fall.

Funny and Pointing.......2005-01-03

"Picking up the Pieces" is one of the funniest movies I have seen in, well, a long, long time.

It is a movie with quite a rich fabric - beginning with the obvious reference to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", then rollicking through the rich landscape of various idiotic lores, beliefs and customs of the Catholic Church, which it mocks relentlessly and deservedly.

Only a true and knowledgeable Catholic, such as Alfonso Arau, could make this movie, and only a true and knowledgeable Catholic will truly enjoy its sting. But its message goes beyond the Catholic penchant for miracles, hypocrisy, sexual perversions, double-talk, corruption, and naivety. It hits every religion, including snake handlers of Southern Appalachia, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moslems, because, at the end of the day, they are all equally hypocritical, deranged, corrupt, and... dangerous.

Woody Allen, who plays a Texan butcher and talks to himself and his dog a lot, is amusing in the highly symbolic Texan hat. David Schwimmer, of "Friends", plays a bewildered and confused young priest, who had strayed from the path of righteousness. Kiefer Sutherland, who plays a corrupt Texas sheriff with a personal motive, is downright scary, and Maria Grazia Cucinotta is pleasingly sexy and exotic.

But what makes the movie so special and enjoyable is its setting amongst the ordinary people of a New Mexico town and their wild antics.

If you have ever seen "Lust in the Dust" or "Serial Mom", you will like this movie too, because it is of a similar genre. If you like reading Voltaire, you'll like this movie too, because its humor and its mockery of human folly is similar.

But if you're a self-appointed religious bigot like Bin Laden, or like Silas of "The Da Vinci Code", you'll hate this movie and its every joke, which is probably why it has never been widely distributed in the US of A.

If you're something in-between, you may or may not like it.

The movie falls flat on a couple of occasions, unfortunately including the final comment made by the departing Texan butcher (Woody Allen), which, I think, is out of place - artistically and semantically. I'd go for something more lofty.

Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!.......2004-09-22

No, not every joke works, but many do. And yes, it's completely irreverent, a bit disrespectful and a hair gross at times. The language is kind of rough. But it's still an enjoyable, if not constantly funny film. And it was definitely supposed to be lopsided and offbeat, with, I think, some intentional miscasting to a degree. The problem is, I tried to order this twice, and it got cancelled both times! I had to buy an import. Amazon... can you really buy this now????

Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce.......2003-06-02

Although this often execrable, cheaply punning (e.g., "see" "si"), monolingual (the devil's!) monstrosity is easily among Woody Allen's worst (if not his worst) it is still, not so surprisingly, better than most films. That is because despite its socially unredeeming ploys (e.g., sex in church, a slattern-wife's severed bird-flipping hand that grants miracles such as big breasts and a dirt-scraping penis to a midget of a darker hue; and a poor Jimi Hendrix copy who sings obnoxious songs) it is kind of fun to look at the cast tramp through the mock New Mexico town El Nino. The end of the film, from which Allen with seeming genuine hostility draws the sermonizing moral that God seems to be saying "if you can't take a joke go .... yourself," is symptomatic of the film's comic misfiring and lack of subtlety. Some T, but little A although I confess I fell asleep in the middle. My favorite part was the recycled Lenny Bruce joke that the Jews didn't really kill Jesus, it was a party that got out of hand. Some of the bits with Kiefer Sutherland as a state trooper were also good. Allen, who plays a magician-butcher who cuts his pretty wife (Sharon Stone, good job) in half with a buzz saw to begin the show, near the end comes to confess his crime prefacing his remarks with the confession that he has never confessed before because he is Jewish. But what are the many scenes of psychoanalysis depicted in his films if not confessions by another name? I think this movie actually has a serious intent that was compromised by commercial expectations and Allen's aesthetic choice to make it a complete farce; it is clever, and better than watching Jim Carey pull faces, but lacks heart-as if Allen were seething with anger but had only the light, feathery pillows of commercially successful comedy available with which to vent his intense frustration (at Catholicism and religious hypocrisy in general, unfaithful women, cute guys, himself, death, unappreciative audiences, etc. etc.)

Beyblade G Revolution - Picking Up the Pieces (Vol. 5)

Average customer rating:

A good continuation...

Beyblade G Revolution - Picking Up the Pieces (Vol. 5)
Starring: Beyblade
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Beyblade: G Revolution, Vol. 4 - It's a Battle Royale!
Beyblade G Revolution - The Revolution Begins (Vol. 2)
Beyblade: G Revolution - Take Your Best Shot!
Beyblade G Revolution - Beginning of the End? (Vol. 1)
Beyblade - Fierce Battle

ASIN: B00049QKC4
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Customer Reviews:

A good continuation..........2005-03-25

This picks up right where the last volume left off of course. It showcases team BBA Revolution taking on the Blitzkrieg Boys, as well as White Tiger X and PPB All Starz against the F Dynasty. This volume also has the original uncut subbed japanese version, which is oddly select through a language menu, I expected it under Extras. Oh well. A good show I'm looking forward to the future uncut battles like Tyson vs Kai.

Average customer rating:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing
Picking Up the Feces
Funny and Pointing
Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!
Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce

Picking Up the Pieces
Starring: Woody Allen , Brian Brophy , Betty Carvalho , Enrique Castillo , and Jorge Cervera Jr.
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Screwball Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Celebrity
Scenes from a Mall
Melinda and Melinda
Bullets Over Broadway
Don't Drink the Water

ASIN: B00005QCVO
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing.......2005-01-29

Picking Up the Feces.......2005-01-24

Funny and Pointing.......2005-01-03

Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!.......2004-09-22

Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce.......2003-06-02

Average customer rating:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing
Picking Up the Feces
Funny and Pointing
Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!
Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce

Picking Up the Pieces

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Celebrity
Scenes from a Mall
Melinda and Melinda
Bullets Over Broadway
Don't Drink the Water

ASIN: B00004Z307

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing.......2005-01-29

Picking Up the Feces.......2005-01-24

Funny and Pointing.......2005-01-03

Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!.......2004-09-22

Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce.......2003-06-02

Average customer rating:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing
Picking Up the Feces
Funny and Pointing
Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!
Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce

Picking Up the Pieces [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Celebrity
Scenes from a Mall
Melinda and Melinda
Bullets Over Broadway
Don't Drink the Water

ASIN: B00005R6V3

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great hook and then Arau's farce just ends up disappointing.......2005-01-29

Picking Up the Feces.......2005-01-24

Funny and Pointing.......2005-01-03

Surprise! The film was SUPPOSED to be absurd!.......2004-09-22

Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce.......2003-06-02

Picking Up the Pieces [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]

Average customer rating:

Picking Up the Pieces [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
Director: Alfonso Arau
Manufacturer: Filmax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Subtitles), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: A crime of passion unwittingly leads to a 'miracle' in this satirical comedy. Tex (Woody Allen) is a butcher who is married to Candy (Sharon Stone), a former exotic dancer who has no skill or enthusiasm for fidelity. Unhappy with her extramarital affairs, Tex kills Candy while performing a 'sawing the woman in half' trick with her during a magic show. Tex tries to bury the pieces of Candy's body on the outskirts of town before anyone can find out the trick was real, but he makes the mistake of losing one of Candy's hands along the way; a blind woman happens upon it, and when she can suddenly and miraculously see, she's convinced she's found the hand of the Holy Virgin. Father Jerome (David Schwimmer), the priest of the local Catholic church, isn't so sure, but the town's mayor (Cheech Marin) is more than happy to have hundreds of tourists coming into town to see a holy relic, and word of the miraculous hand spreads like wildfire. However, Sheriff Bobo (Kiefer Sutherland) is convinced the severed hand appeared through foul play, and Tex is eager to retrieve it before anyone finds out who was once attached to it. Picking Up the Pieces, which also features Fran Drescher, Eddie Griffin, Andy Dick, and Elliott Gould, had its American premiere on the Cinemax premium cable network after the film's controversial themes prevented it from getting a distribution deal with a U.S. studio. SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Teaser(s), Trailer(s),

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

The Way West: The War for the Black Hills, 1870-1876