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Happy New Year (1987 film)

Happy New Year is a 1987 American crime comedy film directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Peter Falk. The screenplay was written by Nancy Dowd, based on the French film La bonne année. The director of the French film, Claude Lelouch, has a cameo as a man on a train.

Plot
Nick and Charlie, a couple of aging thieves looking for a last score before they retire, come to ritzy Palm Beach, Florida, where they have an elaborate scheme to rob a Harry Winston jewelry store. The shop is well-guarded and has high-tech security. Its manager, Edward, welcomes an elderly customer seeking an expensive gift for a terminally ill wife. The eager-to-please Edward has no idea that this old gentleman is a middle-aged criminal, Nick, in disguise. Dressed as himself, Nick encounters a sophisticated, attractive woman named Carolyn Benedict who owns an antique shop next to the jewelry store. He gets better acquainted with her while haggling over a Louis XVI table that she covets, and before long a romance begins to bloom. An old woman drops by Harry Winston, also interested in making a purchase. She, too, is Nick in disguise. During these visits to the store, Nick is casing the joint, making mental notes of the security system in place, with help from Charlie, who is pretending to be a chauffeur. On the night of the robbery, most but not all of Nick's preparations go well. He also didn't count on the participation of Carolyn, who could be convinced to begin a new life in South America with a new partner, as long as he doesn't end up behind bars. ==Cast==
Critical reception
Vincent Canby of The New York Times disliked the film, as he had the original film La bonne année, but had praise for the actors: Gene Siskel, on the other hand, wrote in the Chicago Tribune on Aug. 22, 1987: "In Happy New Year you will see one of Falk's finest comic performances, a clever caper, a pair of masterful masquerades and a sweet love story." ==References==
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