There comes a time in every criminal's life when he has to make sacrifices. "Flypaper" takes place in a bank where two criminal groups have simultaneously arrived to rob the place. But this is not a crime drama; it's a dark comedy revolving around some very unlikely characters. Namely, Tripp (Patrick Dempsey), an autistic hero of sorts who is super-observant but unable to behave appropriately.
Tripp enters the bank at closing time but calculating the movements of everyone around him he guesses what is about to occur and jumps over the counter to save the pretty teller (Ashley Judd). In the scramble that ensues, there is one dead body, a room full of huddled bank employees-turned-hostages, and then Tripp, standing there, trying to negotiate a peace accord. It should be made very clear at this point that this is a comedy and is far from realistic.
The film really does seem like it was trying to be a funny, comedic, chaotic mess. And that's exactly what it is. The characterizations, although unique in some cases, are messy. The many twists and turns, perhaps a half-dozen too many, are messy. But is it really necessary to fault a film when it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do?
What "Flypaper" really accomplishes is a low-budget indie version of "Ocean's Eleven" but with a "who done it" mystery angle. Sometimes slapstick, frequently zany, but also sometimes clever, it's comedy first, crime second, and realism nowhere to be found.
