Word: ullman
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Tracy Ullman has been sending up American stereotypes on television for many many years now-her wildly popular self-titled show has gained her a vehemently loyal following. "The Simpsons," of course, premiered as a short on her show before exploding on the FOX Network. A comedic chameleon, Ullman barely stays in character for more than five minutes on her show, but she elicits sympathy and laughs as Frenchy Winkler, the lead role in Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks. Talking to her in New York City, I realized that Ullman is just as hilarious and witty off camera...
Giving away too much of the plot would spoil the pic's comedic surprises, so I'll give you a barebones outline. Woody Allen plays Ray Winkler, a lowlife, an impractical dreamer, who has to put up with the constant nags of his wife Frenchy (Tracy Ullman). Ray spends his days conjuring schemes - usually illegal ones (he's done some hard time - yes, yes, imagining Woody Allen surviving time in a jail cell is part of the humor, I'm sure). This time, Ray notices that a store next to a bank is up for rent and convinces his friends...
Because Allen can basically secure any actor he wants for a part, he virtually writes characters with those actors in mind. That's why his ensemble casts consistently produce the best performances every year. In _Small Time Crooks_, Allen actually gives up most of the screen time to Tracy Ullman who easily might score an Oscar nomination (in the slot usually held for one of Woody's actors) next March; Ullman's Frenchy has the unenviable task of eliciting the audience's empathy even though we know exactly where the character is headed. But Ullman never lets her characer degenerate...