Amos and Andrew MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

Amos O'Dell (Nicholas Cage), a small time, not-very-bright crook has been arrested on a small island off the coast of New England. When police chief Tolliver (Dabney Coleman) lets him make one phone call, Amos calls in an order for pizza. Andrew Sterling (Samuel Jackson), a renowned black author and recent Pulitzer Prize winner, has just purchased a summer home on the island. As Andrew proceeds to assemble his stereo, a yuppie couple spot him in his house, which they believe belongs to someone else. Mayhem breaks out as 911 receives a frantic call that a black man is ripping off one of the homes and must be holding hostages. Chief Tolliver assumes too much and over reacts to a situation he feels will be a feather in his political cap. By the time he realizes who Andrew really is, the island is covered with news-hungry reporters. Desperate to cover his mistake, the chief arranges for Amos to sneak into the house pretending to be the burglar. Amos plays his part to the hilt, holding Andrew as a hostage. In the process he and Andrew develop respect for each other. Silly - maybe; fun - definitely. It's a Keystone Cops type of comedy that makes fun of everybody.

There are no sacred cows in AMOS AND ANDREW. From the petty criminal to the egomaniac police chief; from the intellectual, snobbish black man to the smug, hypocritical yuppies; from the swarming reporters to the TV evangelist looking for a cause; all are exaggerated, but recognizable. Unfortunately, obscenities and profanities are thrown in for "realism." Violence is mostly slapstick with no one really hurt. The police chief is tied up in a chair and knocked around, and a few fistfights occur, but gunshots into the "burgled" house never hit anyone. Amos finds sexual paraphernalia he later uses to tie up the yuppie couple. Thankfully, there is no nudity or sexual content. While AMOS AND ANDREW entertains, it also reminds us that racial tensions might disappear if we would just see each other as individuals who deserve respect and dignity.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, 711 5th Ave., NY, NY 10022