The Sting II (1983)

There is nothing really wrong with The Sting II except that it isn't The Sting. The central con is amusing, there is some fun stuff in it, the costumes are great, and Teri Garr is (as always) a delight.

But The Sting II isn't The Sting, and it suffers by comparison. (Why they even bothered with the idea of pretending this was a sequel instead of just crafting it as a standalone caper, I don't really get.) Jackie Gleason is older. He's hilarious, and I love him, but he's no Paul Newman. And Mac Davis... well, Mac Davis is a country star. He's handsome, to be sure, but these guys just don't have the suavity and charm of the Redford and Newman team. This isn't bad, and it definitely doesn't deserve its abysmal reputation. It just lacks a kind of coolness that the original Sting pulls off effortlessly.