This is not my favorite Steve Martin movie. But it isn't Martin's performance that draws me in. Michael Caine does a fantastic job. And beyond that, the script is just fantastic. It's not flawless - there are a few gags that seem cheap on repeated plays, but there are so many soft jokes that land perfectly, especially with the cast involved.
This time through, I felt much more drawn to watching Glenn Headly's performance. It's hard to praise a performance that feels entirely natural, but in this case, she seems so eerily perfect in her part. Of course, the believability of that role is established by the performances of Martin and Caine, but once she enters the show, she plays it perfectly.
I was reminded of how well structured There's Something About Mary was. Every single scene resulted in the audience having a sense that the story was going to turn out completely different from what they thought it was.
I have one problem with the movie, and I can't quite nail it down. At some point late in the movie - probably around the time Martin gets into the wheelchair, the pace of the movie slows down. I can't point to a specific scene that drags things down, but I always get a little restless.
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