# Small Time Crooks > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Small_Time_Crooks > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Small_Time_Crooks.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Time_Crooks > Source revision: 1355545562 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2000 American film Small Time Crooks Theatrical release poster Directed by Woody Allen Written by Woody Allen Produced by Jean Doumanian Starring Woody Allen Tony Darrow Hugh Grant George Grizzard Jon Lovitz Elaine May Michael Rapaport Elaine Stritch Tracey Ullman Cinematography Zhao Fei Edited by Alisa Lepselter Production company Sweetland Films Distributed by DreamWorks Pictures Release date May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19) Running time 95 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $25 million Box office $29.9 million ***Small Time Crooks*** is a 2000 American [crime](/source/Crime_film)-[comedy film](/source/Comedy_film) written and directed by [Woody Allen](/source/Woody_Allen). It stars Allen, [Hugh Grant](/source/Hugh_Grant), [Elaine May](/source/Elaine_May) and [Tracey Ullman](/source/Tracey_Ullman). The picture's plot has some similarities to that of the 1942 comedy *[Larceny, Inc.](/source/Larceny%2C_Inc.)*[1] *Small Time Crooks* was the highest-grossing film directed by Allen at the North American box office between 1989's *[Crimes and Misdemeanors](/source/Crimes_and_Misdemeanors)* and 2005's *[Match Point](/source/Match_Point)*.[2] The film was released by [DreamWorks Pictures](/source/DreamWorks_Pictures) on May 19, 2000 and received positive reviews from critics while grossing $29.9 million against a $25 million budget. Allen has never said whether the film's similarity to *Larceny, Inc.* was deliberate or if his film was in any way inspired by it. The plot also parallels episodes of at least two American TV series: *[Gomer Pyle](/source/Gomer_Pyle)* ("Dynamite Diner")[3] and *[Car 54, Where Are You?](/source/Car_54%2C_Where_Are_You%3F)* ("The White Elephant").[4] ## Plot Career criminal Ray Winkler and his cronies want to lease a closed pizzeria so they can dig a tunnel from the basement of the restaurant to a nearby bank. Ray's wife Frenchy Fox-Winkler [covers what they are doing](/source/Front_organization#Organized_crime) by selling cookies in the restaurant. The robbery scheme soon proves to be a miserable failure, but the cookie business is a hit. After they franchise the business, selling cookies makes them millionaires. One day, Frenchy throws a big party and overhears people making fun of their poor decorating taste and lack of culture. She asks an art dealer named David Perrette to train her and Ray so they can fit in with the [American upper class](/source/American_upper_class). Ray hates every minute of it, but Frenchy likes their new culture. What Frenchy does not know is that David is really just using her to finance his art projects. Ray finally gets fed up and leaves Frenchy. David and Frenchy go to Europe for more cultural enlightenment and while there, she gets a call and finds out she has been defrauded by her accountants. She has lost everything, including her cookie company, home, and possessions. David immediately drops her. Meanwhile, Ray has gone back to being a crook and tries to steal a valuable necklace at a party. He has had a duplicate made and through a series of circumstances gets the duplicate and real one mixed up. At the party, he finds out that Frenchy is broke, so he leaves and goes to see her. He consoles her by saying he stole the valuable necklace and shows it to her. Her new-found cultural enlightenment enables her to tell the necklace is a fake; Ray has gotten the wrong one. But she produces a very expensive cigarette case that she once had given to David as a gift but stole back after he dumped her. It once belonged to the [Duke of Windsor](/source/Duke_of_Windsor). They reconcile, sell the cigarette case, and retire to Florida. ## Cast - [Woody Allen](/source/Woody_Allen) as Ray Winkler, aka "The Brain" - [Tony Darrow](/source/Tony_Darrow) as Tommy Walker - [Hugh Grant](/source/Hugh_Grant) as David Perrette - [George Grizzard](/source/George_Grizzard) as George Blint - [Jon Lovitz](/source/Jon_Lovitz) as Benjamin "Benny" Bukowski - [Elaine May](/source/Elaine_May) as May Sloane - [Michael Rapaport](/source/Michael_Rapaport) as Denny Doyle - [Elaine Stritch](/source/Elaine_Stritch) as Chi Chi Velasquez Potter - [Tracey Ullman](/source/Tracey_Ullman) as Frances "Frenchy" Fox-Winkler - [Brian Markinson](/source/Brian_Markinson) as Officer Ken DeLoach - [Kristine Nielsen](/source/Kristine_Nielsen) as Emily Bailey - [Larry Pine](/source/Larry_Pine) as Charles Bailey ## Reception ### Box office *Small Time Crooks* opened up on the same day as *[Dinosaur](/source/Dinosaur_(2000_film))* and *[Road Trip](/source/Road_Trip_(2000_film))* and was the highest-grossing film directed by [Woody Allen](/source/Woody_Allen) at the North American box office between 1989's *[Crimes and Misdemeanors](/source/Crimes_and_Misdemeanors)* and 2005's *[Match Point](/source/Match_Point)*, with a gross of $17.2 million;[5] the film became profitable for North American distributor [DreamWorks Pictures](/source/DreamWorks_Pictures).[6] However, the film was also one of the few later Allen films which did less well outside the U.S. and Canada, and its global gross was $29.9 million.[7] ### Critical response On [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes), the film has an approval rating of 66% based on reviews from 100 critics, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Woody Allen rises from his recent slump with *Small Time Crooks*. A simple, funny movie, *Crooks* proves Allen still has the touch that made his name synonymous with off-beat comedy."[8] On [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), the film has an average score of 69 out of 100, based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[9] Audiences surveyed by [CinemaScore](/source/CinemaScore) gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F.[10] [Stephen Holden](/source/Stephen_Holden) of *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* wrote: "In this sweet, funny wisp of a movie, Mr. Allen shucks off his fabled angst and returns in spirit to those wide-eyed days of yesteryear, before [Chekhov](/source/Anton_Chekhov), [Kafka](/source/Franz_Kafka) and [Ingmar Bergman](/source/Ingmar_Bergman) invaded his creative imagination."[11] [Todd McCarthy](/source/Todd_McCarthy) of [*Variety*](/source/Variety_(magazine)) magazine called it a "Breezy, enjoyable romp gratifyingly zigzags in directions that aren't apparent at the outset and features some intriguingly personal subtext for longtime Woody watchers."[12] [Roger Ebert](/source/Roger_Ebert) of the *[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)* gave it 3 out of 4, and wrote: "Dumb as they (allegedly) are, the characters in *Small Time Crooks* are smarter, edgier and more original than the dreary crowd in so many new comedies."[13] ### Accolades [Tracey Ullman](/source/Tracey_Ullman) was nominated for the [Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy](/source/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Actress_in_a_Motion_Picture_%E2%80%93_Musical_or_Comedy) at the [58th Golden Globe Awards](/source/58th_Golden_Globe_Awards), and [Elaine May](/source/Elaine_May) won the [National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress](/source/National_Society_of_Film_Critics_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actress) at the [2000 National Society of Film Critics Awards](/source/2000_National_Society_of_Film_Critics_Awards).[14] ## Soundtrack - "With Plenty of Money and You" – Music by [Harry Warren](/source/Harry_Warren) – Performed by [Hal Kemp](/source/Hal_Kemp) - "Could It Be" – Written by [Stephen Lang](/source/Stephen_Lang) – Performed by [Stephen Lang](/source/Stephen_Lang) - "[Stompin' at the Savoy](/source/Stompin'_at_the_Savoy)" – Written by [Edgar M. Sampson](/source/Edgar_Sampson), [Benny Goodman](/source/Benny_Goodman) & [Chick Webb](/source/Chick_Webb) – Performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra - "Music Makers" – Written by [Harry James](/source/Harry_James) & [Don Raye](/source/Don_Raye) – Performed by Harry James - [Voices of Spring Waltzes Frühlingsstimmen op.11](/source/Fr%C3%BChlingsstimmen) – Written by [Johann Strauss](/source/Johann_Strauss) – Performed by [Vienna State Opera Orchestra](/source/Vienna_State_Opera_Orchestra) - "[Cocktails for Two](/source/Cocktails_for_Two)" – Music by Arthur Johnston – Performed by [Carmen Cavallaro](/source/Carmen_Cavallaro) - "[Tequila](/source/Tequila_(The_Champs_song))" – Written by [Danny Flores](/source/Danny_Flores) – Performed by [The Champs](/source/The_Champs) - "The Modern Dance" – Written by Scott Marshall – Performed by Judith Cohn, [Carol Genetti](/source/Carol_Genetti) & Scott Marshall - Prelude in B minor opus 32, #10 – Written by [Sergei Rachmaninoff](/source/Sergei_Rachmaninoff) - "[Fascination](/source/Fascination_(1932_song))" – Music by [Fermo Dante Marchetti](/source/Fermo_Dante_Marchetti) – Performed by Carmen Cavallaro - "[Mountain Greenery](/source/Mountain_Greenery)" – Music by [Richard Rodgers](/source/Richard_Rodgers) – Performed by [Lester Lanin](/source/Lester_Lanin) - "Zelda's Theme" – Written by [André Previn](/source/Andr%C3%A9_Previn) – Performed by [Dámaso Pérez Prado](/source/D%C3%A1maso_P%C3%A9rez_Prado) - Sarabande From the Suite #2 for Solo violoncello In D Minor – Written by [Johann Sebastian Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach) - "Lester Lanin Cha-Cha" – Written by Lester Lanin – Performed by Lester Lanin - "[This Could Be the Start of Something Big](/source/This_Could_Be_the_Start_of_Something)" – Written by [Steve Allen](/source/Steve_Allen) – Performed by Lester Lanin - "[Just in Time](/source/Just_in_Time_(song))" – Music by [Jule Styne](/source/Jule_Styne) – Performed by Lester Lanin - "[Old Devil Moon](/source/Old_Devil_Moon)" – Music by [Burton Lane](/source/Burton_Lane) – Performed by Lester Lanin - "[The Hukilau Song](/source/The_Hukilau_Song)" – Written by Jack Owens – Performed by Lester Lanin - "Steady, Steady" – Written by [Ronald Graham](/source/Ronald_Graham) & Milton Shafer – Performed by Lester Lanin[15] ## See also - [Woody Allen bibliography](/source/Woody_Allen_bibliography) - [Woody Allen filmography](/source/Woody_Allen_filmography) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-TCM_1-0)** [Robert Osborne](/source/Robert_Osborne) of [Turner Classic Movies](/source/Turner_Classic_Movies) on June 15, 2006 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["The Box Office Gross Of Every Woody Allen Movie Adjusted For Inflation"](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peterlauria/the-box-office-gross-of-every-woody-allen-movie-adjusted-for/). *[BuzzFeed](/source/BuzzFeed)*. August 2, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Season 5, Episode 19: Dynamite Diner - TV.com"](http://www.tv.com/shows/gomer-pyle-usmc/dynamite-diner-41725/). *TV.com*. CBS Interactive. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130325184616/http://www.tv.com/shows/gomer-pyle-usmc/dynamite-diner-41725/) from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Car 54, Where Are You? - Season 2, Episode 16: The White Elephant - TV.com"](http://www.tv.com/shows/car-54-where-are-you/the-white-elephant-92054/). *TV.com*. CBS Interactive. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160516085109/http://www.tv.com/shows/car-54-where-are-you/the-white-elephant-92054/) from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The Box Office Gross Of Every Woody Allen Movie Adjusted For Inflation"](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peterlauria/the-box-office-gross-of-every-woody-allen-movie-adjusted-for/). *[BuzzFeed](/source/BuzzFeed)*. August 2, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** DUKE, PAUL F. (July 24, 2000). "D'WORKS: WHAT LIES BENEATH?". *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. **379** (9). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Small Time Crooks (2000)"](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=smalltimecrooks.htm). [Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20071001044437/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=smalltimecrooks.htm) from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Small Time Crooks (2000)"](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/small_time_crooks/). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*. [Fandango Media](/source/Fandango_Media). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200925041244/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/small_time_crooks) from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Small Time Crooks Reviews"](http://www.metacritic.com/movie/small-time-crooks). *[Metacritic](/source/Metacritic)*. [CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201029054135/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/small-time-crooks) from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["SMALL TIME CROOKS (2000) B"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/). *[CinemaScore](/source/CinemaScore)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/) on December 20, 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [Stephen Holden](/source/Stephen_Holden) (May 19, 2000). ["Just Take the Money and Run? Nah, She Wants Class and Cultcha"](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/051900crooks-film-review.html). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** McCarthy, Todd (May 15, 2000). ["Small Time Crooks"](https://variety.com/review/VE1117780945). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [Ebert, Roger](/source/Roger_Ebert) (May 19, 2000). ["Small Time Crooks"](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/small-time-crooks-2000). *[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210323152648/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/small-time-crooks-2000) from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [*Small Time Crooks - IMDb*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196216/awards), [archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190909220514/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196216/awards) from the original on September 9, 2019, retrieved October 2, 2020 1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Harvey, Adam (2007). *The Soundtracks of Woody Allen*. US: Macfarland & Company, Inc. p. 129. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780786429684](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780786429684). ## External links Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[Small Time Crooks](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Small_Time_Crooks)***. - [*Small Time Crooks*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196216/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [*Small Time Crooks*](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=smalltimecrooks.htm) at [Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo) v t e Woody Allen Filmography Bibliography Awards and nominations Films directed What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) Take the Money and Run (1969) Bananas (1971) Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) Sleeper (1973) Love and Death (1975) Annie Hall (1977) Interiors (1978) Manhattan (1979) Stardust Memories (1980) A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) Zelig (1983) Broadway Danny Rose (1984) The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Radio Days (1987) September (1987) Another Woman (1988) New York Stories (segment "Oedipus Wrecks", 1989) Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Alice (1990) Shadows and Fog (1991) Husbands and Wives (1992) Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) Bullets Over Broadway (1994) Don't Drink the Water (1994, TV) Mighty Aphrodite (1995) Everyone Says I Love You (1996) Deconstructing Harry (1997) Celebrity (1998) Sweet and Lowdown (1999) Small Time Crooks (2000) The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) Hollywood Ending (2002) Anything Else (2003) Melinda and Melinda (2004) Match Point (2005) Scoop (2006) Cassandra's Dream (2007) Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Whatever Works (2009) You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) Midnight in Paris (2011) To Rome with Love (2012) Blue Jasmine (2013) Magic in the Moonlight (2014) Irrational Man (2015) Café Society (2016) Wonder Wheel (2017) A Rainy Day in New York (2019) Rifkin's Festival (2020) Coup de chance (2023) Short films Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1971) Sounds from a Town I Love (2001) Films written only What's New Pussycat? (1965) Play It Again, Sam (1972) Television Woody Allen Looks at 1967 (1967) The Woody Allen Special (1969) Crisis in Six Scenes (2016) Theatre From A to Z (1960) Don't Drink the Water (1966) Play It Again, Sam (1969) God (1975) Death (1975) The Floating Light Bulb (1981) Central Park West (1995) Writer's Block [two play anthology "Riverside Drive & "Old Saybrook"] (2003) A Secondhand Memory (2004) Honeymoon Motel (2011) Bullets Over Broadway (2014) Brooklyn Story (2024) Pure Madness (2025) Books Getting Even (1971) Without Feathers (1975) Side Effects (1980) Mere Anarchy (2007) Apropos of Nothing (2020) Zero Gravity (2022) What's With Baum? (2025) Albums Woody Allen (1964) Works about Meetin' WA Wild Man Blues Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011 miniseries) Allen v. Farrow (2021 documentary) Family Louise Lasser (second wife) Soon-Yi Previn (third wife) Ronan Farrow (son) Letty Aronson (sister) Related Inside Woody Allen Sexual abuse allegation Monument to Woody Allen (Oviedo, Spain) Category Authority control databases International VIAF National France BnF data Catalonia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Small Time Crooks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Time_Crooks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Time_Crooks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.