Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

SnoopyStyle Roger Barlow (Christopher Walken) day dreams as security guard in a museum. His big joy is to spend the day in front of the painting 'The Lonely Maiden'. Then he finds out that the new curator is selling many of the works including his Maiden. Other security guards Charles Peterson (Morgan Freeman) and George McLendon (William H. Macy) are in the same boat, and they come up with a scheme to steal their art pieces.This is a marginal comedy. The three guys are great actors, but there aren't that many funny jokes. There's a couple of cute moments. And Macy gets naked. That was weird. It just needs an energetic improvisational comedian in the mix, and a funnier script.

MBunge I was fairly delighted with The Maiden Heist. I picked it up hoping to see some amusing performances from a crew of appealing, veteran performers and that's what I got. There was a lot more of William H. Macy's bare butt than I expected, and I never quite figured out why the film didn't at least put some gray in Marcia Gay Harden's hair to try and compensate for the noticeable difference in ages between she and Christopher Walken as they played husband and wife. Harden seems to be playing the same age but looks at least 20 years younger than Walken, whose eyes are still bright but whose everything else has dimmed. But it takes more than middle-aged man ass to put me off a good comedy and the Harden/Walken contrast was more quizzical than annoying.Roger Barlow (Christopher Walken) is a museum security guard with a passion for French art and a particular obsession with one painting, The Lonely Maiden. When he finds out all the exhibits, including his beloved, are being shipped to Denmark to make way for some gaudy modern art, Roger recruits kindred spirits (Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy) who are similarly consumed by two other works of art in a scheme to steal their objects of desire and substitute copies for the trip to a Copenhagen museum. But Roger's very New Jersey-ish wife (Marcia Gay Harden) and a big slip up during the heist may land them all in very hot water.Now, The Maiden Heist is one of these comedies that's doesn't have a lot of actual jokes. There are some, including an inspired visual gag involving Walken repelling down the side of a building and others revolving around Macy's nudity, but this is a story that gets by on personality and tries to be more endearing than hilarious. So, if you're down in the dumps and need something energetic and aggressively funny to pull you out of it, this may not be the film for you. But if you're already in a relatively good mood and looking for a relaxing and somewhat enchanting way to spend 90 minutes, give this movie a go.Walken, Freeman and Macy are all wonderful and though Harden is playing more of a caricature, she does it quite well. The script does a great job of illustrating each man's preoccupation with their particular work of art in a different way and the plan to steal them is rather beautifully put together. There's also just enough clever visual imagery to keep your interest piqued without overwhelming the plot and the characters.It's a shame that many people don't and never will know about this little gem, but that's the paradox of entertainment we live with. Technology has given us access to more films than ever before. Unfortunately, that avalanche of choice combines with technology that allows the production of more god awful crap than ever before to bury movies like The Maiden Heist before the audience has a chance to know them. Changing economics and business models has made it even more difficult for films to get into theaters and stay there long enough to be discovered. Then they come out on DVD or get streamed online and have one week at best before another batch of new releases supplants them. Far too soon, they're shunted to a back shelf in the video store or relegated to one more name on a web page's ever lengthening list of films you can "order now!"Oh, well. I guess it has to be enough that The Maiden Heist and other movies like it are available for whomever is lucky to stumble across them. I'm glad I was one of them.

sedagive42 Of course it was no :Lion in Winter, but it was funny, lighthearted and had 4 good actors in it. If you are a fan of any of them you won't be disappointed. I was surfing and just happened to come across it. Cute and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. I am sorry some others have taken such a negative view. It does not pretend to be a serious drama, and I am sure Walken, Freeman, Harden and Macy had a great time making it. It plays to characters they have all played.....and there is no blood or gore. I did enjoy the 'getting ready" scenes they played really well..and so what if the background is not what you expected..it is still worth the time..

gradyharp THE MAIDEN HEIST (there is a more to the title than you might think) is like getting together with old friends for a chuckle. Michael LeSieur has written a feel good comedy and Peter Hewitt has directed that script with the help of a fine cast and the results are a fun film that has some gentle hidden messages about friendship, relationships, and loving your job. A Boston art museum is making plans to ship an exhibition of works to Denmark. This news is hocking and upsetting to three of the museum guards: Charles (Morgan Freeman, in a subtle gender twist) is passionate for a painting of a girl with cats, Roger (Christopher) is literally enamored by a painting of a lonely girl on a beach, and military minded George (William H. Macy) is so obsessed by a bronze sculpture of an athlete that he secretly poses au natural imitating the pose of the athlete when no one is around. When these three works are designated to be part of the shipment to Denmark the three men pop into action - they find artists to copy their beloved artworks to 'exchange' in the crates when the exhibition leaves the museum. How they achieve this bold heist is the plot of the film. There are many problems: the exchanged crate must contain the authentic pieces accompanied by George until the shipment leaves the museum, and Roger's intrusive wife Rose (Marcia Gay Harden) nearly aborts the boys' plan by insisting on an anniversary trip to Florida. The heist has its problems, as the museum guards are simply good guys trying to prevent the sale of their beloved art works they guard every day. The poster line says it all: 'They're not bad guys, just bad thieves.' It is a pleasure to see three fine actors such as Freeman, Walken and Macy pull off this comedy, aided by the absurd character Marcia Gay Harden inhabits. It is well-scripted full and it is very obvious that these actors are having a great time with the film. Grady Harp