Stealing Sinatra

“In 1963 an event took place that shook the world … This isn’t it.”

This movie is “based on fact.” That is, the events took place. Frank Sinatra Jr. really was kidnapped a few months after JFK was assassinated, and it happened pretty much as it is shown here. Three guys … well, Lee said something like, if you added up all their IQs and expressed it as a temperature, you’d want to wear a sweater. Maybe a heavy coat. Sinatra Sr. on the phone to the kidnapper, after he’s finished cursing them: “I’ll give you anything … I’ll give you a million dollars to have my son back.” The kidnapper: “That won’t do it. We want $240,000.” This really happened! Now, I’m assuming the film took a lot of liberties with who these people actually were, since one of them was smart enough after his release from prison to make quite a lot of money. But who really cares? It’s a situation for a good screenwriter to have fun, he can show these dorks any way he wants to, they can’t sue for libel. It’s a funny movie, some great lines and great scenes, and another wonderfully quirky performance from William H. Macy.

At the end of the film we see this: “No animals were harmed and no criminals profited from the making of this film.”