SummaryA Bag of Hammers revolves around the friendship of two charming grifters, Ben and Alan. Ben and Alan have built a successful though larcenous business, posing as car valets, only to steal the vehicles instead of parking them. Because of their less-than-ideal childhoods and a "job" that allows them to remain likeable boyish rogues well into their ... Read More
Directed By:Brian Crano
Written By:Brian Crano, Jake Sandvig
A Bag of Hammers
Metascore
Mixed or Average
50
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
50
27% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
55% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
18% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
May 8, 2012
70
First-time feature helmer Brian Crano maneuvers some tricky tonal shifts with impressive ease in A Bag of Hammers, a droll, quirky comedy with a pleasant amount of heart.
May 10, 2012
65
It's a film that should be appallingly twee, but more often than not is actually scruffy and sweet, thanks to a nicely underplayed turn by Chandler Canterbury as the kid, Kelsey, and the chemistry between Jason Ritter and Jake Sandvig as hipster grifters Ben and Alan.
May 10, 2012
60
Woven amid the glib one-liners and contrived scenarios is an unexpected, and undeniably touching, sense of heart.
May 11, 2012
50
Rebecca Hall is wasted as Sandvig's sister and the film's voice of reason.
May 8, 2012
50
A dicey blend that generates viewer goodwill but can't make its conflicting vibes gel, A Bag of Hammers will play best with the most soft-hearted viewers provided they don't mind rooting for unrepentant felons.
May 8, 2012
50
Suffers from both an odd, ineffective structure and a low-key tone that jars uncomfortably with the subject matter and makes the film's stakes seem unnecessary low.
May 8, 2012
20
The real scam was the filmmakers tricking Rebecca Hall (and a cameoing Amanda Seyfried) into participating in this blunt instrument of an indie.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
14% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Feb 7, 2013
5
For a directorial debut this was overall a pretty good movie. The shifts in tone are smooth yet somehow still misplaced, as the film begins as a comedy and gradually loses its focus as it swerves between tragic and heartfelt territories. However, if you can overlook the amateur directing and the amateur actors, it really is worth a watch if you're not interested in thinking very hard.
Release Date:May 11, 2012
Duration:1 h 25 m
Rating:TV-14
Tagline:A con is easy. Family is hard.
Website:
Awards
Casting Society (CSA)
• 1 Nomination
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Nomination
SXSW Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
