short takes (2)

When Neil Simon turns to crime, the results can be awful -- remember "Murder by Death" and "The Cheap Detective"? So I was pleasantly surprised to find some genuine humor lurking in the overall silliness and occasional vulgarity of "Seems Like Old Times," directed by Jay Sandrich. The plot is idiotic: an innocent man is forced to rob a bank, then hides out with his ex-wife, whose new husband is about to become an attorney general. But the cast plunges into this lunacy as if it were the movie of the year, and their energy just about carries the day -- especially when Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase get together posing an emotional obstacle course for the deliciously deadpan Charles Grodin. There's a scene in the spare room over the garage . . . but there's no way to de scribe it. See for yourself.