Matchstick Men

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Matchstick Men

PG-13

Released Sep 12, 2003

1h 56m

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

182 Reviews

74%

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100,000+ Ratings

Roy (Nicolas Cage), a depressed con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Frank (Sam Rockwell), his partner, find their line of work complicated by the arrival of Roy's teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). Angela brings some spirit back into Roy's life, and some of his disorder symptoms seem to disappear. But when Angela wants to learn the family business, and Roy allows her to assist on a big scam concerning a businessmen (Bruce McGill), he reconsiders his parenting techniques.

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Critics Consensus

Breezy and well-acted, Matchstick Men focuses more on the characters than on the con.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Matchstick Men glides from comedy to suspense to poignance, arriving at a destination you might not suspect...Fun while it lasts, but it's a bit of a con job itself.

Mar 12, 2018

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

This is a movie about con games at every level.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2010

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

Matchstick Men never really casts off its cloak of artificiality and calculation; its pleasures are minor, however distracting they may be.

Jul 7, 2008

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Matchstick Men -- a nice strong balance of laughter and melodrama that envelops you like A Summer Wind.

Nov 13, 2019

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Nicholas Cage gives his best performance since "Leaving Los Vegas" as con man Roy Waller in this sophisticated movie about familial responsibility, self-imposed barriers and the possibilities of a well executed long con.

Rated: A-

Jun 12, 2009

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Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

A cleverly planned switcheroo story in which the twist at the end is the knife in the back.

Oct 18, 2008

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Ted B

4.0 stars; A very clever movie. A clever plot and clever combination of actor and director. Ridley Scott is like Forrest Gump's "box of chocolates." You never know what kind of film you're going to get from him. He has covered about every genre there is. I think the selection of Nicholas Cage to play the lead role was clever. This was the period when he was doing his best work, I believe. He can do some fine work when playing character roles such as in "Leaving Las Vegas" and even "Pig." Fortunately, Scott caught him during the 'hit' part of his 'hit or miss' career. The most clever part about the film is that everyone gets conned, including the audience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

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Rolla G

Matchstick Men glides from comedy to suspense to poignance, arriving at a destination you might not suspect...Fun while it lasts, but it's a bit of a con job itself.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/16/25

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Lyra S

“Bull—shit mon! Prefex! PREFEX. Prefex.” Yes this is the movie with that iconic scene of Cage going apeshit trying to order meds. Aside from that, this is Nic Cage in his unhinged prime. And Sam Rockwell. And Ridley Scott. And Hans Zimmer. And a touch of Lolita. Clever heists. Totally absurd, feel good, and fabulously fun. They don’t make them like this anymore.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

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Dana B

Matchstick Men works because of the way the key players handle the material. This is the work of professionals acknowledging a good story and knowing better than to get in the way.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

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Faiz D

One of Nicolas Cage's best films I've seen. It has a fantastic story and a brilliant ending!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Drew F

Nic Cage gives his best pure acting performance. Very well done plot twist too. Enjoyable film!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/12/25

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Nicolas Cage

Roy

Sam Rockwell

Frank

Alison Lohman

Angela

Bruce Altman

Dr. Klein

Bruce McGill

Frechette

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Synopsis

Roy (Nicolas Cage), a depressed con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Frank (Sam Rockwell), his partner, find their line of work complicated by the arrival of Roy's teenage daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). Angela brings some spirit back into Roy's life, and some of his disorder symptoms seem to disappear. But when Angela wants to learn the family business, and Roy allows her to assist on a big scam concerning a businessmen (Bruce McGill), he reconsiders his parenting techniques.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Sean Bailey, Ted Griffin, Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Ted Griffin, Nicholas Griffin, Eric Garcia
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Scott Free Productions, Warner Brothers, LivePlanet, Saturn Films, Horsepower Entertainment, ImageMovers, Rickshaw Filmworks
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Thematic Elements|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $36.9M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Stereo, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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