Con Jobs

Chameleon, a stylish Hungarian thriller that follows the rather seedy trail of a gigolo/con man and his trusty sidekick, is like a fine feast marred by a single overcooked side dish.

The movie is well filmed, well shot and well acted. It offers a plot with several neat twists, including the hunky main character, Gabor, working as an office cleaner to pick potential female targets by analyzing trash.

Gabor and Tibi take their scam on the road and raise their sights to the beautiful ballerina-daughter of a millionaire. She’s injured her knee so severely that she may never dance again — leaving her open to Gabor’s hustle. He’ll introduce her to a famous orthopedic surgeon, who is the only one capable of making her whole again.

And while his film is a lot of fun, easy on the eye and keeps you guessing, that plot premise is completely overdone: There is only one doctor in the whole world that can perform the miracle operation that drives the action, and, of course, the doctor will not operate without serious nudging from the protagonist. This is so lame, and … it is the third film I have seen in the last month that uses this same ridiculous theme.

It’s refreshing to see the rich, famous and beautiful have as much time finding medical treatment as the rest of us. Hopefully, when you have a medical issue, the one miracle doctor you need will be at the Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals and not require any special prodding or pressure to help you. — Bob Carson

Tue., March 23, 9:30 p.m.; Wed., March 24, 4:30 p.m.; Fri., March 26, 9:15 a.m. View the trailer, here.