Things Change (1988)

Grade: 48

Gino (Don Ameche) is an eldery shoe-shiner working at his small
shoestore in Chicago, who dreams of being a fisherman back 
in his native Sicily.  One day two serious, well-dressed men
enter his shop, give him a $100 bill, and tell him to appear
at the home of a gentleman that evening.

When Ameche appears, he is asked to plead guilty to a
murder in return for cash.  Ameche, it turns out, looks much
like the Mafia henchman who committed the murder.  Ameche
says no, but changes his mind.  He signs a confession and
puts his fingerprints on the murder weapon.  He is given
a silver coin as a sign of friendship.

Jerry (Joe Mantegna) is a likeable Mafia flunkie who has disobeyed
orders and is "on probation", which entails kitchen duty
and ridicule.  Mantegna is given the assignment to keep watch
over Ameche in a hotel room until he can appear at a hearing
on Mantegna.

Mantegna instead takes Ameche with him to Lake Tahoe.  There is
no mention of who pays for this junket.  When the two arrive,
Mantegna tries to impress a Mafia limo driver with a tale
that Ameche is a top Mafia kingpin.  Ameche is given a royal
treatment, the best room in the hotel, and is pandered to,
because the limo driver tells the hotel manager about Ameche.
Ameche is given gambling money and wins because the roulette
wheel has been fixed in his favor.  Ameche later loses the money.
The stereotype of crooked games and crime-run casinos isn't
very believable.

Two beautify women, apparently Mafia groupies, proposition
Ameche and Mantegna.  Their offer to go fishing is declined.
A local kingpin (Robert Prosky) hears of Ameche's arrival, 
and sends for him.  Suspicious, he is about to have Ameche killed, 
but decides not to when Ameche gives him the silver coin.  One is
reminded of "Being There", which had Peter Sellers mistaken
for someone of great importance.  Like Sellers, Ameche's
character is completely bland and unassuming.  Prosky
gives Ameche a quarter, telling him that he should give him 
a call if he is ever in trouble.

Feeling things are getting out of control, Mantegna decides
to return to Chicago early.  The hotel is having a
convention of Mafia businessmen (such a coincidence) and
they have to sneak out and steal one of the expensive cars.
Mantegna first runs out of gas, then discovers he has
no money.  The gas station owner is about to call the
sheriff, but Amecha pays the tab.  He has borrowed money 
(in another amazing coincidence) from the beautiful women 
who just happened to be returning from their fishing trip and 
getting gas at that same time at the same gas station.

Mantegna returns Ameche to the Chicago hotel room that they 
were never supposed to have left.  Mantegna, feeling bad 
about the shaft Ameche is getting, tells him to run for it, 
but Ameche stays put, saying he has made a deal.

A henchman shows up and walks Mantegna and Ameche to court.
The henchman gives Mantegna a handgun and gives him two minutes
to off Ameche, as things would be "cleaner" this way.  Mantegna
confronts Ameche but can't do it.  Instead, Mantegna assaults
the henchman, knocking him dazed to the ground.  Ameche calls
Prosky, who fixes things up: the henchman takes the rap, and 
Ameche is back working at his shoe story.  But Ameche now has a 
co-worker, Mantegna.

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