Figured everyone could use a laugh right now, just a day away from the deadline for filing 2008 income tax returns. But exhuming this old Three Stooges short (well, not that short; you'll find Part 2 at the tail end of this post) made me realize that Hollywood hasn't produced many movies with the "Infernal Revenue Service" as a key player.
Two reasons: People go to movies to escape from life's hassles, and any movies about the April 15 tax deadline would have an extremely limited window for marketing. You wouldn't go out of your way to see a Thanksgiving-themed movie in May, would you?
Besides that, how do you come up with a happy ending about giving away a chunk of your hard-earned dollars?
(Full, tragic disclosure: My mother-in-law works for the IRS. Think that doesn't add a little sting to the process?)
But a little digging came up with these movies in which the IRS' annual harvest of American salaries plays an important or memorable part. If you can't find them on TV or home video, any old Wesley Snipes movie will do.
The Shawshank Redemption -- Prison inmate Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is an accountant jailed for murder, who does the warden's taxes to gain favor.
The Wheeler Dealers -- James Garner plays a Texas tycoon milking the tax code and New Yorkers for millions.
Bachelor in Paradise -- Bob Hope stars as an author of books for single men whose latest project - dealing with suburban housewives - is a quickie to pay off back taxes.
The Young Philadelphians -- An ambitious law-school graduate (Paul Newman) tackles the (then-)new, lucrative field of tax dodges for clients.
The Mating Game -- An old farmer has never filed income taxes, prompting a stuffy IRS agent (Tony Randall) to investigate. Soon, the only form he's interested in handling is the farmer's daughter (Debbie Reynolds).
The Last Gangster -- Edward G. Robinson plays a mobster shipped to Alcatraz for income tax evasion. Yes, it was inspired by Al Capone's trouble with the IRS.
The Jackpot -- A nice guy (Jimmy Stewart) wins a $24,000 prize on a radio show (yay!) then realizes he must pay taxes on it (boo!).
The V.I.P.s -- Liz Taylor and Richard Burton starred in this ensemble melodrama but Orson Welles added comic relief as a filmmaker forced to marry his star to avoid paying $1 million in back taxes.
Stranger Than Fiction -- An IRS agent (Will Ferrell) whose life is supernaturally controlled by a novelist (Emma Thompson) falls in love with his latest target for auditing (Zooey Deschanel).
And now, the conclusion of our Three Stooges program...
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
Yes, Karen. I added Stranger Than Fiction to the print version of this story. Great call on Grumpy Old Men, though!
Posted by: Steve Persall | April 17, 2009 at 07:41 AM
Umm, I seem to remember in "Stranger Than Fiction", Will Ferrell fell in love with his latest audit target played by Maggie Gyllenhall....
Also, in "Grumpy Old Men" back income taxes were a part of the story line.
Posted by: Karen | April 16, 2009 at 11:18 PM
Oh, wise guy, huh?
Why you... (eye poke, nose grab)
Posted by: Steve Persall | April 14, 2009 at 08:58 AM
and now, direct from Chicago,
Ladles & Gentlespoons...
THE JUMP 'N THE SADDLE BAND with THE CURLEY SHUFFLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJYOTljXNrA
Posted by: Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk | April 14, 2009 at 08:21 AM